Destiny of Dreams
by marykat
Summary: A teenage Bella begins to have dreams of the same man over and over again, unbeknownst to her she is traveling through time. Edward sees the same mysterious girl throughout his life, and is hauntingly drawn to her. Will they ever meet in real life? BxE
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the Twilight saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Chapter 1 – Dreams**_

**BPOV**

Bella tossed in her sleep as another one of her dreams made her restless. This wasn't the first one, nor would it be the last. They weren't even the same, just strikingly similar in that the same man appeared in all of them. His golden tousled hair, his godlike good looks, the charm that rolled off of him; those things never changed. Oddly, his eyes changed with the surroundings; a deep emerald, brilliant crimson, warm topaz or icy black. Bella never knew exactly where, or when for that matter, she _was_ in the dreams but she always felt a strange sense of comfort. The thought of waking up to her ordinary world is what always made her restless; her dream world seemed like the true reality.

This time, she found herself in a ballroom, everything draped in red, white and blue. Many of the men were in uniform, the women in elegant dresses, a little more old fashioned than Bella had normally seen. Someone handed her a cup of punch, which she took and moved further back in the room, toward the wall. The beginning of the dreams always unnerved her; it took some time to get her bearings. She took a sip of punch and looked down. _Whew, thank goodness I wore this nightgown, I don't look too out of place here. _Feeling slightly more relaxed knowing she didn't look like a complete freak, she started her routine of looking for **him**.

After avoiding the glance of several young soldiers who tried to catch her attention, she finally found him. Bella was usually unsure of what to do once she did find him, but this time she felt compelled to approach him. She walked across the room, not glancing at anyone in her way, carefully trying not to trip.

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**EPOV**

Edward fidgeted next to his mother, irritated to be dragged to yet another military ball when all he wanted to do was join the fight. He listened as she politely chatted with some of the officers who were thanking her for throwing the ball prior to them shipping off to Europe. _8 more months_ was the mantra that pulled him through these evenings. His mother glanced at him when she heard his sharp intake of breath, puzzled by his reaction. Then she noticed the object of his gaze and smiled slightly to herself. She knew what his destiny was, and was ecstatic to finally get to see it for herself.

_Who is this angel? And why is she smiling at me?_ Edward had never lacked for attention from girls, but none had been able to compete with his desire to be a soldier. But the deep chocolate eyes that were staring at him from across the room were another story altogether. He felt a jolt of shocked when they locked eyes and saw a shy smile spread across her face. He couldn't understand the overwhelming feeling of completeness he was experiencing. She continued her slow but steady pace across the room, but he was frozen to the spot, unable to meet her halfway.

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**BPOV**

Bella felt more confident once she met his eyes. _Green, _she remarked to herself_, this is a new color. It suits him very well._ She briefly notice the older woman standing next to him, staring at her also as she made her way across the room. Her eyes were the same as his, shining with a hint of knowledge that Bella did not yet understand. The woman smiled brightly and quickly nodded her head in acknowledgement, so fast Bella thought she might have imagined it.

"Hello," she breathed quietly to the boy (because he did not yet look to be a man in her eyes in this setting).

"H-hello," stuttered the startled boy, slowly putting his hand out to take hers. There was no more dialog between the two, their eyes doing all the communicating necessary.

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**EPOV**

_She's walking right for me, I have to do something! _Edward found his composure just as she reached him.

"Hello," his angel whispered to him, her voice all sweetness. _Speak to her!_ his mind was screaming.

"H-hello," he managed to get out as he got over the shock of her nearness. He quickly found his manners and took her hand in greeting. Looking deep into her eyes, he saw that she seemed as affected by his touch as he was by hers. He held onto her hand and silently led her out to the dance floor. He assumed his mother would be furious with him for leaving his greeting post, but when he hazard a glance at her, she was beaming at him and his new partner. Edward, thankful it seemed he wasn't going to get a scolding later, pulled his angel into his arms and began their first dance of many.

When the band took a break, Edward had no choice but to lead his partner off the floor. As they neared the side of the room, he was narrowing down the choices in his mind of what to say to her. He had no sooner opened his mouth to introduce himself then she blushed, shyly ducked her head and walked quickly for the doorway. Stunned, he stood motionless for a moment before running after her. She was no where to be found.


	2. Chapter 2: What is real?

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Chapter 2 – What is real?**_

**BPOV**

"Aahhh!" Bella let out an exasperated sigh as she woke up, not learning his name yet again. She rolled out of bed, glad to see she still had 15 minutes before her alarm went off; whenever she had an especially good dream like last night's she needed a few extra moments to "get real," as she thought of it. She slowly made her way into the bathroom and went through her morning rituals, centering her thoughts on the day ahead as she carefully combed all the knots out of her hair.

Even though it was just the beginning of her junior year, it seemed like everyone she knew was obsessed with the Prom next semester. The Homecoming dance next week seemed to be a "dress rehearsal", everyone eager to find the best dresses and dates. Thankfully, she was going with her mother and her new husband to one of his out of town baseball games next weekend. It was the last game of the season, and she hadn't been to any yet, so she used that as her excuse. It wouldn't be nearly that easy to get out of Prom, even her Mom thought she needed to go through that "rite of passage." Bella just chuckled to herself as she thought about all the months she had to plan an ingenious way to avoid the sentence for humiliation everyone else simply called a dance.

It wasn't just that she was a klutz (well, that was an understatement), she just couldn't think of any boy she would feel comfortable going with. Sure, there were a couple guys who had asked her out throughout the years, but it always seemed more like a pity date so she never took them up on their offers. No one she'd met thus far had really lit a fire in her heart…at least no one she'd met in **real life**.

As she ate her cereal, she allowed herself a few minutes to slip back into her dreamland. She thought about his new eye color, wondering what that meant. She had never seen him look quite so young, but really he was the same as he ever was. Perhaps that woman was his mother? What did her smile mean? Her thoughts lingered on their wonderful dances, the electricity that seemed to flow between them when they touched.

"Rethinking the baseball game next weekend Bells?" Bella blushed at her mom's question. Without realizing it she was waltzing across the kitchen to put her empty bowl in the sink. "Phil really won't mind if you don't come, he knows how important Homecoming can be to teenage girls."

"Uh, no no, I don't think so. I just had a weird dream last night, that's all. It's a good thing you interrupted me, I'm sure I was about 5 seconds from breaking my ankle or something!" Bella finished washing her dish and then grabbed her school bag, heading out the door. "See you later, I'm going to be late for school. Love you Mom!"

"Love you too sweetie. Have a great day…keep thinking about next weekend though!" Renee was always worried that Bella was a little too serious for her age and encouraged her to have more fun as often as possible.

As Bella walked the few blocks to the local high school, she looked around at the warm, brown landscape she called home. Some people called it barren, but she loved it; she had found little in her world to compare with the majesty of the desert hills. She tried to think of her upcoming History exam and English paper, but her mind kept wandering back to **him**. It had been about 6 months since she started having these dreams. They started the night she returned from visiting her father in Forks, Washington during Spring Break last year.

She hadn't been there in years, preferring to spend time with him on vacation in California, but this time he couldn't miss work but wanted to spend time with her. Since she was working all summer at the bookstore, it was the only time her father would see her until Christmas. Grudgingly, she spent 5 days of her Spring Break up in the cold, rainy forest while most of her classmates were tanning in Mexico. She loved spending time with Charlie, she just detested the climate in Forks; it was always so depressing to her. Of course, her visit was practically straight rain from when she landed until she left to go home. They didn't do much but sit around the house, watching sports on TV, talking a little. Charlie's friend Billy Black from the local Quileute reservation stopped by a couple times. Bella had met his son and twin daughters a few times in visits past, but the girls had moved away and Jacob was visiting one of his sisters in Hawaii for his Spring Break. Billy and Charlie mainly talked about sports and town gossip, such as the hospital's need for a new doctor in a few months when their senior practitioner was retiring.

Bella thought back to that first dream and how real it still seemed to her. She was walking down a path through the woods in the early afternoon. It was drizzling lightly, and she was just wearing a t-shirt and shorts so she was trying to hurry and find shelter. Suddenly, she noticed a huge white house in a clearing up ahead of her. She tried to run towards the house, as the rain was getting harder by the minute. Of course, she tripped on a root and went flying face first into the mud. She screamed slightly as she fell, simply because she was taken by surprise. In an instant, she felt cold arms around her, helping her up. She looked up to see his face, his eyes a deep golden amber. "You!" he accused her. His expression was a mixture of torture and happiness. She sucked in her breath, getting ready to speak, not sure of what to say. He didn't seem to be breathing either, just staring at her as if she wasn't real. She blushed scarlet, struggled out of his grasp and stood away from him. She wasn't scared, just afraid that he was angry with her, and _that_, she knew she could not bear. She mumbled "I'm sorry, so sorry" as she turned and stumbled back down the path until she woke up.

Bella had thought that it seemed especially real because the wooded path seemed like one she had walked with her father during her visit, during the one time the sun shone. However, as she thought again about that morning after the dream, she remembered being slightly wet which she had originally attributed to sweat due to the spring Arizona heat wave. Maybe it wasn't sweat? Bella shook her head as she walked through the school doors. _No more of this nonsense…they are just dreams!_

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**_A/N: Throughout the story, when "him" or "her" (or "he" or "she", you get the deal) are in bold, I am referring to Bella or Edward. This is because at those points in the story, they don't know each other's names. Thanks!_**


	3. Chapter 3: Visions

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Author's Note: Bella's visits do not happen in the same time order as Edward's life. Therefore the first time he sees her is not the first "dream" she has. **_

_**Chapter 3 – Visions**_

**EPOV**

_Ugh, I don't know if I can stand being around the newlyweds again!_ Emmett and Rosalie had just returned home from their 3rd honeymoon and everyone was meeting up at the new house Esme had built for them while they were away. They were starting over in this new town as high school students in a few weeks and would all need to live in the main house together, so Emmett and Rosalie were making the most of being "grown up" in the remaining weeks. "I'm just going to stay here and play," Edward grumbled as he sat down at the piano. _Are you okay?_ Alice looked at Edward, asking the silent question. "I not much in the mood to "hear" about their honeymoon right now." Alice cringed when she caught Edward's meaning, her slight smile turning into a wide grin when a vision flashed through her head. Edward cocked his head at her, wondering why she wasn't showing him her vision. She just let out a small tinkling laugh and flitted around to follow the rest of her family out the door.

Edward relaxed into the music, starting with some Debussy, and slowly making his way to his own compositions. He started playing around with a new melody, not sure where it was going. His mind cast around for some new inspiration, but, as always, he came back to the same pair of chocolate brown eyes that belonged to his mysterious muse. As he played, he became aware of the sound of someone walking down the path that led to their house from town. He cursed slightly, not wishing to entertain anyone in his current mood. He listened more carefully as he realized he couldn't hear any thoughts to accompany the footsteps. His dead heart seemed to quicken as his mind turned over the possibility that this could be his muse! Before he had decided to give in to his fantasy, he heard a quick yell from the brush. Shaken, he tore outside, pulling the door off the hinges in his haste to get to **her**. She was lying on the ground, but thankfully not bleeding. He ran over and picked her up, waiting as she turned her face slowly up to meet his gaze. He had already known that she was the one, but he didn't realize the full significance of their connection. He hadn't gotten quite so close to her, in the rain no less, since he'd been a vampire. Her smell was so powerful, he wasn't sure he could resist. He wanted nothing more than to be near her, but he couldn't trust himself. He simply spat out "You!" trying to convey all the emotions he was feeling in one word.

Amazingly, she seemed to understand. He held his breath as she seemed to puzzle over what to say. She blushed and pulled away from him (_Thank God_ he thought as the warm blood of her blush almost put him over the edge), quietly repeating "I'm sorry, so sorry" as she walked away. Edward was hopeful, as it didn't seem that there was fear in her eyes, just love and pain. He was terrified of meeting her again; afraid he was mistaken about the love and that he wouldn't be strong enough to control his urges.

He sat on the path for what seemed like eons. He knew he could not chase her down this time, and was beginning to lose hope that he'd ever really find her for good. He wasn't even sure she was real, although her scent certainly seemed real enough. He barely noticed as his family made their way back to the main house, only shaking himself out of his reverie when it became clear Alice was coming out to talk to him. Finally, she showed him her vision of what just happened; it was then that the anger overtook him. "How could you??? I could have killed her?? You know what she means to me, even if she is just a figment of my imagination!!!" Alice stopped at his exclamations, opting not to speak but to show him another of her visions. Quietly, she whispered "I saw this just before she left."

Edward gasped when the images flew through his mind. He and his angel laying in the meadow, her calmly stroking his hand and apparently marveling at the rainbows his skin created from the sunlight. Alice doing her hair and makeup, with a fancy dress hanging on the door behind them. Him, quietly struggling to suppress his thirst as she tossed in her sleep, whispering his name with love. "What does this mean? Could she possibly be _real_?" He looked urgently at Alice, wondering what her feelings were. _I'm so happy for you son; you've finally found your other half_. He hadn't noticed until he heard her thoughts that Esme had come out to find him. Alice had obviously filled the rest of the family in on her visions and her thoughts about them.

"My other half?" The thought startled him, but also filled him with a strange warm completeness. "I don't understand…I've never dared to imagine she was real! But, how will I be able to resist her, you can't imagine how powerful her scent was. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HER ALICE????"

"Edward, CALM DOWN! I didn't know it would be like that until I had the second set of visions. As you saw for yourself in the first one, you were obviously able to resist her, so I wasn't concerned about this time. If you hadn't been able to resist, I wouldn't have had those visions." Alice knew Edward would calm down once he realized the truth in her words. Since her visions of the future depended on decisions, she couldn't have seen anything of the girl's future if he had "decided" to give in to his thirst. "And yes, I think this definitely means she is real. I've never had visions of anything other than vampires and humans. She must have decided she trusted you, or I would not have seen her with you later. Perhaps it is nearing the time that you will actually meet. Most of those places I saw were right around here in Forks. For all of our sakes, I hope you don't have to wait another 100 years until we come back here again. Dealing with your fantasy for the last century hasn't exactly been a picnic for all of us!" Alice laughed lightly as she teased him for his moodiness.

"Ha! As if it has been all rainbows and candy having to constantly listen to the overwhelming love all of you share during that time! Sometimes I would wish Carlisle had stopped with me so I didn't have to endure it. But then I would catch a glimpse of her, and I couldn't wish that kind of bond away from anyone." Edward contemplated all Alice had said. He felt like he had been chasing a shadow for as long as he can remember. Most of his human memories had faded, but the dances with her a few weeks before his "death" had always been strong. His bond with her seemed so unbreakable that rarely had anyone attempted to match him with anyone else. His father had tried at first, with Rosalie, but Edward knew even without his memories of **her**, he would never have shared the deep and true love she and Emmett have or that he felt for his angel.

However, despite her astounding happiness with Emmett, Rosalie was never one to take rejection lightly. "A HUMAN! Are you kidding me??? How could you do this to us? I used to think you were crazy, always lusting after a ghost, but now I know you are certifiable!" Only Rose's thoughts revealed her true feelings of jealousy over the one who had truly captured Edward's heart in her place, but she quickly hid them. Edward caught them, but one look at Rose's ashamed face he knew he could never betray her confidence. Luckily for her, everyone was paying attention to how Edward was faring and no one else caught her look. She again found her rage, and stormed out of the room, with Emmett calling after her meekly. "Babe, don't be so hard on him. I mean, not that their passion could come close to ours, but don't you think he deserves a little happiness?" Her growl seemed to mean NO, so Emmett hurriedly followed behind her, begging forgiveness.

"Don't mind Rosalie, Edward. She is harsh, but she does love you and wants your happiness. I am so thrilled that you have finally found the one whom you have been looking for all this time." Carlisle always felt so guilty that Edward had no one, more so because he had created him as his first companion, but now had Esme as his partner and the rest of the family as well. It pained him to see the looks of despair and loneliness that sometimes crossed his face in moments he thought no one was looking.

"I know Carlisle, I know." Edward would never disclose Rose's secrets; he knew she didn't want to feel that way. He could understand her reaction better than anyone, so he forced himself to forgive her. "Do you really believe she could be that for me? My other half? I do feel that way sometimes, especially when compared to Rose and Tanya. You know that my memory of her is my strongest human memory. I knew instantly that I had never felt that way about a girl before in all my 17 years, though there were countless options during my short life. It is odd that every time I feel as though I could give up my fantasy she seems to show up, even if only for an incredibly short amount of time, and pull me back under her spell."

"I've seen the way you look when you think of her, Jasper has felt the way you feel when she has visited you. Alice's visions make clear to me that she is your destiny," Carlisle continued to counsel his son.

"Destiny! That is what my mother said!" Edward exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

_What? When did I say that?_ Esme puzzled through her thoughts to remember that conversation.

"Ah, sorry Esme, you know I do consider you my mother in every other way but I meant Elizabeth! That first night, after she left and I couldn't find her. I was in terrible spirits but my mother was smiling. I remember being surprised she had not gotten angry with me for walking away from her to dance when I was supposed to be playing the host role with her. As with the rest of the evening, this is my clearest memory. When I wondered aloud how I was going to find her again, my mother reached down and turned my chin to face her. Then she said "Don't worry my son, she is your destiny. You **will** find her again."

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A/N:

**_This chapter relies heavily on the characterizations and plot lines that already exist in the Twilight saga. I have not explained some of the things in here that were explained in the books, or things that are simply in there as foreshadowing devices. If you have any questions, message me or email me and I will try and explain. Any suggestions on how to make this clearer are also greatly appreciated!_**


	4. Chapter 4: Crazy?

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Author's Note: This is my first story, so I really appreciate all the reviews and constructive criticism (more criticism, please!!!). Thanks to some great suggestions, I think you will find this chapter a little easier to read. It is amazing how much the little things matter…and how hard it is when your editor doesn't know any of the Twilight story and is only hearing the story verbally! **_

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Chapter 4 – Crazy?

**BPOV**

Bella woke from another dreamless night and sighed. Since the dream of the dance, she had been very unsuccessful in thinking about much except this dream boy. Yet, try as she might, she didn't have another dream about him. It wasn't unusual for weeks to go by without her having one of these dreams, but she had felt so connected with him in that last dream she didn't want to let go, even weeks later. It had been almost as real as the very first dream. The look on his face when he took her hand was playing on repeat in her mind; she knew the passion she felt awakened by his touch was real and true. Their link was so strong, and yet what could it possibly mean?

She had never imagined she could feel this way about someone, and here she was convinced she was _in love_ with a boy who lived in her dreams. Looking into his eyes, she felt as if she was looking into his soul; while they had only spoken a handful of words to each other, she still knew everything she needed to about him. Sometimes she imagined he was Heathcliff to her Catherine and their love was as doomed as the pair's in _Wuthering Heights_. Surely if there were moors in Phoenix she would wander them aimlessly searching for him forever. It didn't seem as though there was room in her life for him and anyone or anything else. She was totally consumed with thoughts of finally being with him, holding his hand and basking in his love.

Her friends thought she was crazy, always drawing a pair of eyes on all her notebooks, surrounded by a heart. Depending on her mood, she made the eyes different colors. "_At least green is a normal pen color to carry around with you. Everyone always wonders why I have a gold ink pen. Coming up with the color-coded notes system was the best idea I've had in a long time."_ Bella said to herself as she thought about another one of the unusual quirks she had picked up since she started having the dreams. Since she didn't know his name, she had taken to doodling "Heathcliff" surreptitiously in the hearts as well. If any of her friends had noticed that part, they must have just assumed it was due to her near constant reading of her favorite book.

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FLASHBACK – DURING THE SUMMER

Over the course of the spring and early summer, Bella had done quite a bit of research into the theories of dreams. Books by Freud, Jung and others were starting to populate her nightstand, displacing her usual favorites by Austen, Brontë, etc. The "wish fulfillment" premise was one that she felt best fit her situation. Maybe it was because most of her ideas of romance and life were based on classic literature, but the new age theories didn't fall in line with her way of thinking. She'd tried dream journals, looking at possible symbols and twisting events and characters into bizarre metaphors. Nothing seemed to make any sense to her, so she finally just gave in and enjoyed the dreams when she had them.

During the month of August, Bella next set out to try and _create_ the dreams, after abandoning her search to _understand_ them. A book she had read as a child, The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery, had a particularly memorable storyline about children eating strange things before sleep in order to have bizarre dreams. Inspired by this, she began scouring the Internet for ideas of foods to try. She read a study by the British Cheese Board that concluded people would likely have "particularly strange and vivid dreams" if they ate 20 grams of Stilton Bleu cheese before bed. Since that was a perfect description of her dreams, Bella began a nightly ritual of cheese and crackers as a bedtime snack. Obtaining Stilton Bleu cheese was a bit of a difficulty, but thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web she managed to acquire a large stock. The third night into her cheese experiment, she found herself in the midst of another dream.

She knew right away that it was one of _those_ dreams; the incredible, well, _reality_ of everything surrounding her made it clear that it wasn't an ordinary dream this time. She was standing in a field, surrounded by enormous evergreens and snow-capped mountains. She looked up as a majestic hawk flew over the clearing towards a crystal clear lake at the other end of the field. After the first dream, she instinctively knew to look for him, but this time she didn't know where to begin. Something drew her to the lake, and after a few moments she started walking toward that end of the clearing. She saw something shimmer in the brief sunlight off to her right and turned to see what it was as the sun hid itself in the clouds again.

**He** was at the edge of the forest, with his back to her, crouched on the ground next to some sort of animal. Startled to find him so fast, she called out "Hello!" before she comprehended what she was doing. Slowly, he turned to her, a look of shock and horror crossing his face as he saw her. Bella's face crumpled as she tried to understand why he was so upset. Frozen, she stood with silent tears streaming down her face as he seemed to ponder what to do. Suddenly, he started walking directly toward her, his eyes scanning all around as he rapidly approached. The wind blew from behind him, and she smelled his magnificent scent mixed with the earthy aroma of the surrounding forest. He abruptly stopped about 30 yards away from her, reaching a hand out as if to gently stroke her cheek, his face softening but his coal black eyes still deadly serious. "Quickly, you must go," he yelled to her across the distance, his musical voice dancing on the wind. "It's not safe for you now my love." He turned and ran back into the forest, so swiftly she almost didn't believe he was ever there; his lingering scent was the sole reminder of the event.

Bella gasped quickly as she heard his last words, still processing them while she watched his retreating figure; however her reaction was not one of fear but of exhilaration. Somehow, not under her own power, she felt herself following in his wake across the field to the forest. The need to be with him overpowered her; she longed to here his voice, feel his touch. After the first few steps, she realized her battle was lost as scenery faded into shadows and she began to wake up. _Love_, she repeated the word over and over in her head. _This truly is love._ This thought is her last memory of this dream, but as she awoke she swore she could still detect his wonderful scent hovering around her.

In the shower, her mind lingered on his face as he spoke to her. She couldn't understand how she could ever be in danger when he was near, unless the danger was falling deeper into this fantasy. And that was a danger she could easily live with. More than ever, she knew they were destined to be together.

At work that day, she looked practically useless with a dazed look and dreamy smile plastered on her face. Her boss Tiffany noticed this the minute Bella walked in the door, so she assigned her the normally grueling task of hunting down all the "missing" books customers had carelessly left lying around and returning them to their rightful locations in the store. Bella, still high from her dream revelation, floated around the store picking up book after book. Her workday flew by and she was still trying to determine where to put a book about old Indian legends when Tiffany tapped her on the shoulder.

"Go on, get out of here! You certainly did more than I expected you to today, so you earned an early release." Tiffany smiled, genuinely impressed with Bella. She'd had a number of different high school girls work in her store over the years, so she'd come to expect very little from them when they were in a certain mood. Bella had undoubtedly proved her wrong, doing what normally took Tiffany two days to straighten out in a matter of mere hours. "Get back to whoever is putting that beautiful, dreamy look on your face."

"Oh, th-thanks Tiff! Let me just put this book away." Bella blushed and stammered, previously unaware her of her lovestruck expression. Tiffany just pulled the book out of her hand and pushed her toward the door. "Ok, then! See you tomorrow boss!" She walked out of the store into the shockingly bright Phoenix afternoon, bumping into her friend Melanie.

"Hey Bells! Did you get sprung early??? I was just stopping by to see how long you were going to be. Jen, Kelsey and I are planning on going to the pool to cool off for a while. Wanna come with? The boys are going to meet us there."

She was about to say yes then Melanie mentioned the boys. In her current state of mind, the last thing Bella wanted to do was be around a bunch of boys who didn't like her. None of those boys ever made her feel as content and comfortable as her dream boy. And the stark contrast between their joking and jeering and his loving words was more than she could take at that moment.

"No, I promised my mom I'd help her get ready for her party tomorrow. You know, her next big adventure, hosting a book club meeting!" Bella shook her head and chuckled at Renee's latest scheme. "Have fun, tell everyone I said hi and I'll give you a call tomorrow. Bye!" She turned away from her friend, soon finding herself walking in the front door of her house without even realizing how she got there.

Bella spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for snacks for her mom's party and cleaning the house with her. "Thanks for helping sweetie, but you know you don't have to. This is your summer vacation, you should be enjoying yourself! You already spend so much time working at the bookstore, you hardly see your friends anymore," Renee frowned slightly. It had taken Bella a while to build up a good set of friends and even longer to persuade her to socialize with them like a teenager should. She always joked that Bella was the real grown-up between the two of them, rarely forgoing her responsibilities for some harmless fun.

"It's fine Mom! I'm pretty tired from work and cleaning, so I think I'm going to head up to bed early." Renee looked positively dejected when she said that, so Bella added some fictional (but possible) plans for the next day. "I saw Mel today on my way home from work and we talked about hanging out at the pool. It might be a long day tomorrow if we go after work, so I just want to chill tonight." She shrugged her shoulders as she walked into the kitchen, trying to get Renee to take the bait. When she walked out to the living room with her snack, she found her tactics had worked. Her mother was grinning at her as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Sleep well Bells. I love you!"

"I love you too Mom," Bella called down between bites. After her dream the night before, she was ecstatic about the possibilities for the cheese process. She hedged her bets a little, having slightly more than the recommended "dosage." She hadn't been lying to her mother about her fatigue, so it didn't take long to fall asleep. Almost immediately, she felt herself in another dream; this one seemed just as real as the others, but she couldn't shake an eerie feeling.

As she often did, she found herself standing in a forest, this time about 200 yards from a large clearing. She started heading toward it, not getting a good feeling about this dream. Although she felt a familiar pull toward the clearing, she was uneasy being alone this deep in the trees. Eager to see him again, hoping to continue their abruptly ended "conversation" from the previous dream, she walked blithely forward where her thoughts led her. After a few steps, she felt as if she was being followed. She slowly turned, stunned at the sight before her. Dozens of figures hidden in long, sinister cloaks glided uncannily fast through the misty forest, headed straight for Bella. The sight was spectacularly terrifying. The fear consumed her, forcing her to forget about finding him and focusing her solely on escape. But she knew she couldn't control the dreams; for the first time, she began to pray they _weren't_ real. In her heart, Bella was certain they were; escape was unlikely at the speed the ominous group was advancing on her so she began to think of other options. She swallowed her terror, searching for the hope and comfort always present around **him**. He was her only hope; if these dark figures were pure evil, then he was pure goodness. Suddenly, it occurred to her that perhaps she was not the reason for their journey. She had only just arrived, from the cloud of mist following them; it appeared that they had been traveling for a long distance. In an instant, all of her fear turned to fury. Bella was not about to let anything happen to **him** while she had a chance to prevent it. She opened her mouth to scream a warning, but no sound came out. She turned to run away from the rapidly approaching throng, guessing they were headed toward **him**. As she began stumbling in the direction of the clearing, everything faded to shadows. When she finally woke up, she was clutching at her sheets and violently sobbing.

That morning, Bella suggested that her mother try the Stilton cheese out on her book club friends. Despite her earlier success, she didn't want to take another chance after the terrifying nightmare she had just suffered through. She was through trying to provoke the dreams, settling for waiting impatiently for her next glimpse of **him**. Exhausted from the combination of fear and crying, she had a hard time getting motivated to go to work. Finally, she gave in and called Tiffany, claiming she was sick. After securing her blessing to stay home for the day, Bella crawled back into bed hoping for a dreamless sleep.

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END OF FLASHBACK – ONE WEEK BEFORE HOMECOMING

Bella found herself at a crossroads; almost unconsciously she was going back on her earlier decision to not try and provoke a dream. She had taken to sleeping in only the nightgown she was wearing during the dance dream. She concentrated on his face with all her might as she drifted off to sleep, listening to the songs they had danced to in the dream. When her mother commented on her nightgown, wondering how long it had been since it was washed, she realized she had a problem. Using cheese as a method to provoke bizarre hallucinations had been a pretty extreme tactic, resulting in a dangerously close call. In her _current_ state of mind, there was no telling what other crazier and more dangerous ways she might try and incite a dream. Clearly, regardless of the unfathomable bond she felt with **him**, she had to give up the delusions about the dream boy and their dream love. Because that's what they had to be – delusions. In thinking about why the dreams weren't coming anymore, Bella had categorized the possibilities into three theories:

She was insane for imagining herself in love with a mere figment of her imagination and was one step away from them "coming to take her away hahaa!" If that was the case, she better try as hard as possible to have a real life and maybe no one else would notice she was truly crazy.

Perhaps her dream boy had found someone else's dreams to haunt and had left her forever. She didn't think she was enough for him anyway, so she had to find a way to move on from her fantasy.

Maybe what she needed to was get him jealous! She'd never gone out with other boys, but maybe a new romance would bring back the dreams.

When she looked at it objectively, she saw that all three theories pointed to one dismal place – she was going to have to go to the Homecoming dance with a date. Her friends had managed to find someone who was willing to go with her, some sort of favor they said. A couple guys had asked her weeks ago, but she didn't pay attention to who they were, automatically saying no at the time. No one really interested her anyway and she couldn't believe they had honest intentions. Enough snippets of conversations had fallen on her ears for her to understand that she had some kind of standing as a desperate virgin among the males in her class, thanks mainly to her lack of interest in them. This reputation didn't bother her in the least, but it was enough to make her wary of the boys in her school.

She never dreamed that she would enjoy the dance as much as she did or that her date actually wanted to go with her. Nor did she imagine the consequences of what happened that evening.

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A/N: Ah, you thought I was going to go there with the Indian legend book, didn't you? Be patient…and thanks for reading!! This chapter is dedicated to ED, who

**does**_** know the story and is also willing to let me bounce ideas off of her. And the study about cheese and dreams is absolutely true, there is a link to it on my profile.**_


	5. Chapter 5: Preparations

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Author's Note: This is my first story, so I really appreciate all the reviews and constructive criticism (more criticism, please!!!). **_

_**Also, just a reminder – Bella's "dreams" don't happen to her in the same order that they happen to Edward. The timing of each visit means something different to each of them, but makes sense based on what is happening in their real lives at the time. And I took some liberties with parts of the original storyline, so I'm sure there are a few inaccuracies.**_

_**Chapter 5 – Preparations**_

**EPOV**

Edward sighed as he walked through the hallway towards the cafeteria. Today was the day that Jessica was finally going to ask him to take her to the Homecoming dance. Although it was still more than a month away, he was relieved she couldn't wait any longer. Her fantasies about the two of them were beyond ridiculous, and had only gotten worse as time went on. The faster he nipped this infatuation in the bud, the sooner he'd stop having to try so hard to tune her out.

Unfortunately, she'd never made any public overtures to him yet, so he couldn't make it clear she had no chance. Certainly, he'd stayed away from her, not taking the bait the countless times she'd tried to strike up a conversation with him; and heaven knows there were opportunities galore for him to embarrass her when he caught her staring by pointing out vocally his aversion to her. High school was always full of that type of damaging behavior, but Edward was nothing if not a gentleman. As much as he disliked her revolting thoughts, she wasn't really a bad person and didn't deserve a public humiliation.

"Are you ready for your 'indecent proposal' Eddie?" Emmett grinned as he taunted Edward in a low voice no one but their family could hear.

"I'm not telling you _anything_ anymore! Think about _that_, will you? Now you'll never know who is having fantasies about Rose!!" Edward breathed back to him, infuriated.

'_I can't believe you told him about this! Jessica definitely has it bad for you if she'd consider doing _that_. Of all the things to let slip out, you really gave him some ammunition! I told you I could keep it to myself.'_ Alice snickered as she tried to sympathize with Edward, shaking her head slightly.

They both started laughing as Alice suddenly had a vision of Emmett stalking every single male in the school and informing them in no uncertain terms that Rosalie was HIS, and only his. Apparently, he felt the need to check them off in a yearbook so that he could be sure he got everyone.

Edward looked at Emmett, watching him calculate how long it would take to talk to everyone individually. _'What if I had Carlisle come up with some sort of sex ed talk that had to be given to all the boys at once? Then I could just run up to the front of the group and warn them all at once! Boys in high school do crazy stuff like that all the time, no one would think it was that unusual. Yeah, I think that is the best way to do it.' _Emmett noticed Edward glaring at him and realized he was listening. _'What, you think I'm just going to sit back and let those slezoids think about Rose? Where have you been the last century?'_

"Preventing just that sort of thing Emmett, that's where I've been." Edward sighed again, letting Emmett of the hook. "Of course you know I will continue to be the world's informant for you…I was just trying to get back at you for bringing the dance invitation up."

"Speaking of which, I think you're on! Break a leg!" Alice pushed Edward away from the table the rest of the family was sitting at. A few days ago, she'd seen what Jessica was planning; she was definitely pulling out all the stops. The poor girl had no idea how much could be overheard and how this single act would haunt her for the rest of her high school career. Alice and Edward were trying to work together to prevent Jessica from totally embarrassing herself. Her tentative future really was too cruel for them to allow it to become reality.

Obviously, the future would change depending on the decisions made over the next few minutes. Edward would do all he could to alter Jessica's course of action. He felt partially to blame; his vampiric nature gave him an irresistible allure which made it almost impossible for the teenage girl to give up without trying every tactic she could think of. And with her considerable popularity within the general student population, she had a bit of an ego that also factored into the equation. He hoped he could persuade her to give up quickly, but he was prepared to be callous, in order to save her from the terrible reputation that currently awaited her.

"Hello Edward, can I speak with you for just a minute?" Jessica sidled up to him, wearing tight jeans, black stiletto boots and a black lace sleeveless v-neck top that was literally cut down to her navel. Her confident thoughts were going a mile a minute. '_I know he won't be able to resist me, I look sooo sexy in this outfit. I bet he's just dying to take me in his arms right now and ravish me.' _

Edward looked at her, meeting her eyes directly, knowing full well what she was going to look like. The first part of the plan was to not show any interest in her, but that was nothing more than what he normally did and he didn't expect it to work. "Yes, Jessica?" he answered quickly in a bored tone. As anticipated, this didn't phase her in the least.

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the Homecoming dance next month?" Jessica figured she'd been coy enough in the past, so she boldly went straight to the heart of the matter.

"No, I would not." Edward was trying to not to be too hard, but tried to convey a sense of coldness with his firm reply. He didn't want to leave room in his answers to give her hope or to lead her to try out her other plans. He looked quickly at Alice, her eyes wide in panic, and realized his current tactic wasn't working. He shivered at Alice's vision of Jessica "accidentally" dropping something, only to bend over and allow one of her breasts to slip out of her top. "I'm sure there are plenty of other _boys_ who would love to take you." He sneered when he said "boys," trying to infer that he felt she was too immature for him.

"I don't want any _boys_ Edward; I want **you**." With this statement, she took several steps closer to him, trying to touch him. He just backed away, the two of them in a strange sort of dance across the cafeteria. After a few moments of this, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Oh, I see you understand my question, finally." Visions of the two of them in multiple compromising positions danced through her head.

"I don't think _you_ understand _me_. I was simply trying to get you to stop moving closer to me." A low growl escaped from his lips. This was clearly going to be harder than he'd thought.

"Afraid you can't resist with all of these witnesses? I don't mind giving them a show…" Jessica smiled seductively at him, lightly stroking the hand he still had resting on her shoulder, his eyes growing colder and blacker with every touch. "I can be _anything_ you want me to be…" It hadn't gone unnoticed that Edward had never dated anyone; however, Jessica figured there had to be something that would tempt him. She thought he might be looking for a little more excitement in the bedroom than he was expecting from a typical high school girl. All she had to do was make the offer.

A quick check with Alice indicated that Jessica was still set to make her startling revelation in front a huge audience in mere seconds. The bell had just rung and with her back to the door, she had yet to notice the throng of people headed directly toward them. Edward decided to take the only recourse he had remaining, quickly interrupting her train of thought.

"No Jessica! You really aren't my type; you don't do anything for me at all. Save yourself some embarrassment and just walk away now." Every word he spoke was dripping with disdain. He brusquely pulled his hand away from her, gave her one last "you're not good enough for me" look, and walked out the door. The rest of his family walked quickly past her, muttering things like "As if" and "Like he'd ever go for a girl like her" in derogatory tones just loud enough for her to hear, in an effort to make his rejection as final as possible.

Edward stayed around the corner, listening to see if she had finally gotten the message. Almost instantly, her thoughts locked in on Mike Newton, the blond Junior with whom he had Biology. Edward was relieved to see that all the fantasies he'd been enduring for the past 6 weeks had now morphed with Mike in his place.

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

"I'm proud of all of you. You were right to try and keep that poor girl from the hellish reputation she would have gotten had Alice's vision played out." Carlisle beamed as he praised his family. "I know I've been out of the dating game a long time, but I am shocked that she thought the idea of involving strange things in the bedroom would attract you Edward!"

"Yeah Eddie, you have some fetishes you haven't fessed up to or something? Why the heck would she even think of something like that? Heaven knows Rose and I like to get a little kinky, but we aren't that crazy!" Emmett winked at Rosalie.

"MTV reality shows really will be the downfall of this generation. My best guess, from the thoughts I've heard, is there was some sort of 'how to attain the unattainable guy' special on over the summer. I've seen snippets of it from a lot of the girls at school, usually when they are thinking about one of us or the guy they have a crush on. I think the suggestion she took was meant to be a joke." Edward shook his head at the way pop culture could affect the impressionable youth of this country.

"I'm just glad it is all over. The lust waves rolling off of her every time she was near Edward were killing me! It was all I could do to not pull Alice into the janitor's closet some afternoons." Jasper laughed, but Alice just stared at him.

"Hmm…the janitor's closet. We've never tried that, have we babe?" Rosalie was now returning Emmett's wink.

"Well, I think that is enough of this talk! We already live in close enough quarters, and I have to listen to all of your shameless thoughts. Can we please stop before I have to attempt to find a way to bleach my brain!" Edward really was about at his breaking point. The days leading up to this afternoon's scene in the lunchroom had taken his toll on him. Couple that with the fact that he hadn't seen his angel since Alice had shown him her visions of their future together, he was unfit for company. He sat down at the piano to try and take his frustration out on the ivory keys.

Rose jumped into Emmett's arms, squealing as he tickled her with kisses while running to their bedroom. Carlisle and Esme quietly removed themselves to Carlisle's study, mumbling something about remodeling plans. Jasper walked over to the giant flatscreen TV and pulled out the video game console. Only Alice stayed, quietly taking a seat next to Edward on the piano bench, waiting for him to be ready to talk. Of course, she'd seen all this played out in her head

It had only been about 2 months since he last saw **her**, but his impatience was almost out of control. In the past he'd gone years between sightings, but now that he knew she was real, he could barely contain himself. Several times he'd stop himself from asking Alice to look for her in the present so that he could go to her immediately. He had decided to ask her this time, but she started talking before he even formed the question in his mind.

"You don't want me to do that Edward." Alice cautioned him. "I just had a waver in my visions of you two together in the future, and I think your idea is what caused it. I don't think you should force it. It should come naturally…it is your 'destiny' after all." Alice always laughed whenever people used terms like "fate" or "destiny" because she knew how fickle the future really was.

"Ha! I know deep down you believe in destiny, you can't hide your true thoughts from me. That is how you describe your meeting with Jasper and with the rest of our family. And don't forget, _you_ searched for _us_!"

"Yes, I do believe some things in our lives are destined to happen and sometimes we can have control over _when_ they happen. But not always. In my case, I knew that I was meant to be with Jasper and that I would find him at a certain time and place. If I didn't have my visions, I am confident we would have met there anyway. The same goes for finding you; the more proactive I was the faster it happened, but it was bound to happen anyway."

"My thoughts exactly! Since she and I will be together eventually, what is the harm in trying to speed up the process?" Edward was getting more impatient, especially when he met resistance on this from the person normally most likely to chase a vision.

"It is not the same thing! There is something else going on with the two of you. How is it that she, a human, has been visiting you for a century, and the same age every time? There is some other timeline at work here, and I don't think it is safe to disrupt it. Whatever is going on, _she_ always comes to _you_. Remember what you said, about how just when you are about to give up, she comes, even just for a few seconds, to remind you? The connection you two have is so complex and so strong I don't think anything outside can really influence it." Alice paused to let him ponder all of that.

Edward thought back to one of the visits he'd described to Alice in the past…

**FLASHBACK TO DENALI 50 YEARS AGO**

Edward sat on a rocky outcropping, staring down at the valley below him, reflecting on the past few months. He didn't feel the right kind of love for Tanya, but there didn't seem to be anything to stop him from joining her as her mate. She obviously had the right feelings for him, she was quite attractive and very friendly. In reality, he'd love to have her as a sister of some sort. But it had been over 50 years that he'd been alone and he was tired of letting a fantasy get in the way of his happiness.

Rosalie's creation had been the last try at "mating" him…that would have been just as much a disaster regardless of his strong connection to his angel; obviously she was so well matched with Emmett now that the idea was simply laughable. But it had been years since he'd seen **her**, and he was beginning to think her prior visits had been some sort of hallucination. Until now, he hadn't considered the possibility of finding an actual mate. Despite his unbreakable bond with his angel, he couldn't allow himself to believe she truly existed and that there was a possibility for the two of them together. It was ludicrous; on top of everything else, she was a human! He needed to move on from the fantasy, and this was the best way to do it.

_She's a bit over-eager, but perhaps she'll calm down in a few decades_, Edward thought as he considered life with Tanya. He shook his head as images of his family floated around his mind…if anything, their desires grew deeper every passing year. _I could come to feel the same way about her in time_; now he was trying to convince himself it was possible. But as quickly as he had that thought, he recalled a conversation with Carlisle about vampires and their loves.

Carlisle had said that since vampires were, for the most part, unchanging creatures, when something did change, such as true love, it was powerful, irrevocable and immediate. Edward knew that even though Tanya showed a significant preference toward him, any bond they shared was nothing compared to true love; but maybe they could still be happy as companions regardless, as long as they both came to terms with the realities of their relationship's limits.

He headed back down to the house, intent on discussing this with Tanya. He still wanted to think about it some, so he simply walked back down the mountain, rather than run at full vampire speed.

Edward was walking down the lane from the highway to the house when it happened. One second, he was totally alone on the stretch of road, and the next minute he was acutely aware of someone else's presence behind him. He struggled to find the thoughts that accompanied the enticing and familiar scent, shocked to not find any! He turned, excited at what this might mean, and found himself looking directly at his angel.

She was at the other end of the lane, at the entrance to the highway, but even at that distance he felt the incredible bond tighten and strengthen between them. She looked around bewildered at first, wearing nothing but a flimsy cotton t-shirt and ratty sweatpants, her hair in a messy ponytail almost falling out of the ribbon holding it together. She shivered in the cold Alaskan air, and he wondered how in the world she had gotten there so ill protected against the weather.

He was frozen at the spot, staring at her breathtaking beauty. Her porcelain skin was striking in comparison to the rich brown locks that swirled around her face. She shivered again as a blast of icy Artic air blew through the forest lining the lane. Concern for her ripped him from his daze when he realized how cold she must be; he needed to find a way to warm her up. He started striding toward her, not too quickly so as not to scare her, when she suddenly looked up and saw him.

Her confused look turned into a brilliant smile as her deep chocolate eyes met his blazing golden ones in recognition. She held her hand up in a small wave, sighed and turned around. At once, she vanished, leaving nothing but her scent and a scarlet ribbon fluttering in the wind.

Edward sprinted to where she had been standing, picking up the ribbon and immersing himself in her remaining scent. He then spent the next day running that stretch of highway repeatedly, searching for any sign of her. He had known immediately that it was a waste of time, but logic didn't stop his search. Only after Tanya had come after him did he allow himself to stop searching.

One look at him and Tanya knew any progress she'd made with him was lost. The others had told him of his occasional visitor, as well as the depth of the feelings he seemed to have for her. Tanya, unable to say the words, thought quietly _'There really was no hope for the two of us, was there?'_

Edward just shook his head, not able to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry if I led you on, I thought I could move past her. I cannot explain what I feel for her. If it is any consolation, I'm doomed to chasing a hallucination for all eternity!"

"Oh Edward, you never led me on! I'm sorry if I tried to force myself on you, but it did seem kind of silly that you were holding out for a figment of your imagination when you could have _me_!" Tanya laughed, lightly punching Edward on the arm to let him know she was joking. "Seriously though, seeing you like this has helped me comprehend why. I can't pretend to understand your situation, but it is clear there is some kind of mystical connection between you and this girl. I know it will work out for you Edward; you are too kind a person to not have that sort of happiness in your life. Just be sure to invite me to your wedding!" She gave him a quick hug and then got up and ran back to the house, leaving him to his thoughts.

He played with the ribbon she'd dropped, twisting it around his fingers again and again. If it hadn't been for that, he'd have sworn he imagined the whole thing. She was only in his presence for 30 seconds at the most, but still managed to dramatically affect his life.

The first time she visited, when he was still alive, was the longest of all the visits. Had he known she would disappear, he would have clung to her in that ballroom with all his might. The minute their eyes met, he couldn't think of anyone else. In all the time since then, their connection only seemed to grow stronger.

He could rarely escape thoughts about her as so many things made him yearn for his angel; songs on the radio, the satisfied look of love on a random happy couples' faces, love stories in the books he read – even the tragic ones like Romeo and Juliet. Whenever he saw a woman with curls of chestnut hair cascading down her back, his breath caught at the possibility that it was **her**. And then he'd hear the insipid thoughts that accompanied that hair, and his hope would come crashing down all around him. He even had to abandon some of his favorite hunting areas because the freesia growing nearby reminded him too much of her scent and distracted him.

Resigned to his fate of simply waiting for glimpses of **her**, Edward finally wandered back to the house to join the rest of his family. He held the ribbon tightly in his hand, his one physical link to his angel. He was definitely going to have a harder time _not_ thinking of her as real.

**END FLASHBACK**

"You need to be a little more patient and allow things to occur a little more organically than we typically do." Alice thought about how the visions disappeared when he "decided" to chase her, trying to reinforce her verbal point. "Besides, the most you could have to wait is the 4 or 5 more years we will stay here. After waiting this long, I think you can handle it; especially since you get to keep her for eternity."

"Fine, I guess a few more years of waiting won't kill me."

**THE NEXT DAY**

Ever since he'd realized how appealing **she** was to him, he made sure to hunt as often as possible in order to be best prepared when she made a return visit. He had been neglecting this task over the last few days trying to prevent Jessica's total humilation, so now he was in desperate need to satiate himself. He continued to think "when", not "if" she visited him again; he couldn't control when he'd see her again, so focusing on the distinct possibility that she really was real became his sole pleasure.

The further he ran, the nicer the day was. When he finally stopped, the sun was peeking out from the clouds occasionally, but just enough to bring out his sparkle. He was glad he hadn't stopped earlier; he was far past the path of any humans where he currently was. He looked around and examined the area around him, an enormous field with a huge lake directly across the field from him. Seeing the water made him eager for a swim, so he quickly headed toward the lake.

Halfway across the field, he caught the sent of a wandering moose. With barely a thought, he gave in to his inner predator and bounded toward the forest after his prey. At the fringe of the forest, Edward reached the animal and leapt onto its back. He sunk his teeth into its neck, drinking the large animal dry; it filled him somewhat, but his thirst was still very evident. He knelt, with his back to the field, over the drained moose preparing to discard the carcass. He felt the sun warm his back slightly and unconsciously raised his bare arms up in a stretch.

In an instant, his whole world changed. The wind shifted and the most delectable scent hit him like a tsunami. He stifled an agonized scream, settling for a low growl, undetectable by human ears. _How could this be the time for her to visit? I'm not sure I can control myself right now!_ Edward thought carefully about his bloodlust. He was no longer uncontrollably thirsty, and had been out of hunting "mode" for long enough to be in complete control of his actions. Alice's visions had still been clear when he left for this trip. And he was desperate to see his angel again.

She was out in the middle of the field and had been walking toward the lake, but she abruptly stopped when she was directly across from him. As he continued to fight with himself about approaching her, she confidently called out "Hello!" and shook him out of his reverie.

Slowly, he turned and faced her. As usual, her stunning beauty momentarily froze him. Mercifully, the breeze shifted again, blowing the fresh smell of the forest from directly behind him. Still, her scent lingered and the anguish of not knowing he wouldn't hurt her ran through him. Horror-struck, he felt a magnetic pull toward her and knew he would be unable to control himself enough to stay away. As strong as it was in his current state, the bloodlust was far from the primary factor that drew him to her. He ached at the thought of physically being near to her, holding her in his arms and feeling her soft, warm skin against his.

His pain only worsened when he realized she was crying. _She's frightened of me! I knew it was impossible for her to need me the way I need her._ His thoughts spiraled out of control as a deep depression threatened to set in. And then his spirits soared through the clouds as he heard her quietly repeating the same questions over and over to herself, almost without even knowing what she was doing.

"What did I do? Why does he hate me now?" Her expression was a mixture of confusion, love and agony; there was not even a hint of fear. His immediate priority was to console her, but at the same time keep her safe from her greatest danger – himself.

He walked purposefully toward her, scanning all around for other potential dangers. He knew that if he looked directly at her, the magnetic force would draw him in so quickly he wouldn't be able to stop himself from running straight to her and gathering her up in his arms. He stopped far enough away to be in control, but close enough to hopefully convey his full emotions to her.

Her gorgeous face looked up at him hopefully, and she locked eyes with him. He felt the full power of her radiant beauty, and his stern expression fell away. He reached out to her, moving his hand as if to caress her face even though the distance between them made it impossible. He had to explain to her how he felt and the danger she was in; however, as much as he knew he should, he didn't want to make her afraid of him.

"Quickly, you must go," he yelled to her across the distance, trying to instill as much love and concern in his words as possible. "It's not safe for you now my love." Startled that he had used that word, he turned from her and ran back into the forest. He no longer had control over his emotions, and he knew the consequences could be dire if he remained in her presence any longer. The only thing that held his spirits up was the incredible look of love and awe that crossed her face when he spoke to that word to her.

He heard her gasp as he turned away, and heard her try to follow him. Thankfully, he would be miles away before she even made it to the edge of the clearing. Thoughts of Alice's vision were the only thing keeping him from turning around and sweeping her into his arms. He knew he couldn't force it, and this was much too dangerous a time for them to be alone together.

With his mind focused on his building love, he ran home straight into Alice's room. Her visions had come the last time right around the time his angel visited; he hoped she had more information for him after this visit. When he found her translating the Koran into Mayan in her thoughts, he threw a chair through her window in frustration.

"Tell me what you saw!" His growling words would have terrified anyone but Alice.

She laughed at him as she carefully took out a replacement window from her cavernous closet and began making the repairs. Of course she had known what would happen when she kept her vision a secret from him. "I'm not telling! You really don't want to know, it will ruin the surprise!"

Jasper had walked in, trying to calm Edward. _Bro, let it go. You know how she gets, she's never going to tell you. She hasn't told any of us either, except that it is a good vision. Just trust her. You are really going to have to relax, or am I going to have to make you?_ Jasper's thoughts weren't helping, so he used his gift to calm Edward against his will.

Succumbing to the overwhelming calm falling over him, Edward sat down. "Fine, you win. But you are all going to have to deal with my attitude until whatever you saw finally happens. And I know from experience that your idea of 'good visions' don't always coincide with mine, so I will continue be on edge as I have been for the past 100 years!"

_**A/N: If you want more details on the Jessica "proposal", ask me...I didn't want to go into too much detail and make the story inappropriate for a younger crowd. **_

_**I'm not sure if I am going to do a Bella POV on the Denali visit. It was such a short dream for her and wasn't very pivotal. I will if you guys want it though…let me know.**_

_**Also, I am toying with the idea of letting Edward find her when they meet in real life, don't worry I know how to make it work and not contradict this chapter. So I am going to take a poll of you readers…it will be up in my profile, or you can respond via the reviews.**_

_**Please review! I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story.**_


	6. Chapter 6: More cheese please?

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! As to the questions about Edward's mom and the "mysterious dark figures"…all will be revealed in the next couple chapters.**_

_**Also, just a reminder – Bella's "dreams" don't happen to her in the same order that they happen to Edward. The timing of each visit means something different to each of them, but makes sense based on what is happening in their real lives at the time. And I took some liberties with parts of the original storyline, so I'm sure there are a few inaccuracies.**_

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Chapter 6 – More cheese please?

**Quick Recap: In her timeline, the last dream Bella had was the one when Edward was still alive, at the dance in 1918. In the last BPOV chapter, Bella thought back to the two dreams she had back to back during the summer (after experimenting with cheese) – one in a field with Edward calling her love and another short scary one without Edward appearing. At the end of the chapter, she decided she needed to go to the Homecoming Dance with a date to try and get on with her life. She hasn't had a dream with Edward for several weeks.**

**BPOV**

"Okay honey, let's get going! We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time. Do you have any idea how difficult it is going to be to find a cute dress for you this close to the dance? Not that I'm not thrilled you're going…I just wish you'd decided a little earlier!" Renee yelled impatiently upstairs to Bella, already halfway out the front door.

"Oops! Coming Mom…just hold on a minute…Yikes!" Bella tried to get downstairs, but tripped when her sweater snagged on the railing at the top of the steps. She managed to catch herself before she rolled all the way down to the foyer, but took the rest of the steps a little slower. "Why am I considering going to a dance?!? Mom, I really think I made a mistake; there is **no way** this isn't going to end without a casualty!"

Bella walked slowly toward the door, acting as if she was headed to the gallows instead of the Galleria. "And to top it all off, I have to endure countless hours of _shopping_…"

"It won't be that bad Bells. You know you'd hate whatever I picked out for you more than the shopping, so you might as well move your butt out into that car. I promise we'll stop for ice cream when we get done…we can even go to Cold Stone if you want." Renee knew Bella's weakness; the lure of gummy bears and brownies in Cake Batter flavor ice cream worked every time (A/N: I have no idea what Bella's favorite food is, but I'd do just about anything for that ice cream).

"Fine!" Bella stalked out to the car, tossing her bag on the backseat and scowling back at her mom from the passenger seat. "But I'm getting the 'Gotta Have It' size this time, you owe me!" She flashed a grin with that, settling into her seat as Renee backed out of the driveway.

"Seriously Mom, I really appreciate you taking me dress shopping. I definitely didn't want to do it alone, and the girls would take at least 3 times as long as you would. It's bad enough that I'm going to the stupid dance and I have to hear about it nonstop at school. I really don't want to spend my free time talking about it too!"

"Well, I'm just excited you decided to go to the dance. You do know that you don't have to actually dance the whole time, right? They usually have chairs and snacks at these types of things."

"Yes Mom…there is definitely no amount of ice cream in the world that could tempt me to go to something that required constant dancing. I doubt there are enough cold compresses and bandages in all of Phoenix to take care of the devastation that would occur after the first hour!"

After a few minutes, they pulled into the mall parking lot. "Which store do you want to start with? Nordstrom's or Macy's?"

"Which store do you think we are most likely to find everything we need at? I'd rather get it all done at once. Why can't we just pick up the first dress we see and go with that?"

Renee just shook her head as the two of them walked into Nordstrom's. They headed for the dress section and she picked up the first dress she saw. It had a hot pink bodice that was skin tight satin, strapless with a deep v. There was a neon green tutu skirt that might have skimmed mid-thigh if it even came that low. And there were pink mesh "sleeves" that somehow attached to the bodice and ran from the armpit down to the wrist; there were some sort of neon green feathers forming a cuff at the wrists, with a boa of matching feathers wrapped around the hanger.

"_This_ is why we aren't 'just picking up the first dress we see and going with that'…unless neon green and hot pink are your new favorite colors? Sure, the skirt is a little short and it might show a little too much cleavage, but I'm certain you can cover yourself up with the handy boa. If you really want it Bells, it's yours! Now, let's go find some 6" clear platforms to complete the look!" Renee giggled as she tossed the "dress" at Bella. "Come on honey, you better try it on so we make sure we get the right size."

"You are right Mom…it's as if this dress was made for me. Seriously, who on earth would wear something like this?" Bella held the dress up to herself, looking in the mirror to see how ridiculous she looked.

"Excuse me, what school do you go to?" The saleswoman had walked over to them while they were playing with the hideous dress.

"Um, why does that matter?" Renee answered for Bella, unsure of what the woman's motivation was.

"We keep a meticulous record of which dresses are purchased by girls at every school in the area. We won't sell the same dress to two different girls at the same school. This way, they can avoid the embarrassment of showing up in the same thing as someone else!" The saleswoman was clearly proud of this policy, smiling as she explained it with an eager thoroughness.

"Oh, I never would have thought about that. I, uh, guess that makes sense. Well, I go to Central High." Bella realized she was really out of the loop with the whole dress thing. She never considered the possibility of matching someone else at the dance. Luckily, that unknown crisis had been averted; not that she really would have cared, but it probably would have cast the unwanted spotlight on her a little more than usual.

"I'm very sorry dear, but someone has from your school has already purchased that dress." Bella exchanged a look with her mom, but managed to keep a straight face for the saleswoman. "My name is Tina, if you need any help finding something else suitable, just give me a holler."

"Thanks Tina, I'll just take a look around for a while. I'm sure I can find something else just as stunning!" With that, Bella turned around and headed for the center of the dress section, barely holding onto her laugh until she got out of hearing range. "Mom, there is no way I'm missing this dance now! I just _have_ to see who is going to wear that dress! Don't worry, I'll try and get a picture and text it to you."

"Well, that certainly is a different style than they wore back in my day…times sure have changed! Now, let's find something a little more your style." Renee pulled a couple of dresses from the nearby racks and dragged Bella into a dressing room. "Try these on first, so we can get an idea of what cut looks good on you. It's been way too long since you wore a dress!"

Bella put the first dress on, shocked by what she saw in the mirror. _I actually look pretty in this. And I don't feel like something is going to pop out if I move the wrong way._ She yelled out to Renee from the dressing room, "I know you said we couldn't just get the first dress we picked, but I really like this one Mom."

"I'm sure it's great honey, but we are just looking at general styles now. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to try on a dozen dresses until we find the right…ONE! You're right, this one is fantastic!" Renee changed her tune as soon as Bella stepped out of the dressing room door. "It isn't too revealing, but it still looks very stylish."

"Excuse me, Tina?" Renee called after the saleswoman as she walked past the dressing room. "Has this dress already been purchased by anyone at Central?"

"My, my, that one looks simply darling on you dear! Let me check my book here…" Tina paused as she consulted the massive binder in her hands. "Nope! That is free and clear for Central. Well, not any more, is it? I guess I should mark it as unavailable now, right ladies?"

"Definitely is Tina! Would it be alright if she kept it on while we went over to the shoe department, after we paid for it, of course?"

"Mom, is that really necessary? Can't I just hold it up?" Bella thought her mom was taking this shopping thing a little too far.

"Oh, alright. I guess it would be rather unusual to walk around a department store in a formal dress!"

Bella sighed in relief as she walked back into the dressing room to change. She handed the dress to her mother over the door so Renee could pay for it while she finished changing. After they had the dress all wrapped up, they headed over to the shoe department. Bella headed immediately to the flats, but turned in dismay to watch her mother knee deep in 3" heels.

"Mom, I cannot wear anything like that! Please, please let me wear flats!" Bella pleaded, but walked over to her mom, knowing she wouldn't get her way on this.

"Honey, the dress is so beautiful, but if you wear flats it will ruin the whole look. Here, these heels are only an inch high."

"Sure, only an inch, but how much ribbon is that hanging off of it and what is it doing there?"

"That is supposed to wrap around your ankle to hold the shoe on…oh, I guess that probably is a bad idea. With your luck, it would come undone and trip you."

"No kidding Mom! How about this pair?" Bella held up a pair of silver sandals, but the "heel" was only about a half inch.

"What did I saw about flats? If it isn't at least an inch, it is not a heel. Try these." Renee shoved another pair of silver sandals at Bella; these had a 2" heel and a sturdy strap to hold them on.

Bella tried them on, surprised at how comfortable they seemed to be when she stood up in them. And then she tried to walk…and managed to get 10 feet before she started to wobble. "I guess these will work, that's probably the furthest I've ever walked in heels before and I haven't even practiced in these yet. Remember Danielle's wedding?"

Bella thought back to her cousin's wedding a few years ago. Danielle had insisted on Bella being a bridesmaid, just so she could have 10 bridesmaids and beat her best friend who had only had nine. She also insisted that all the girls wear the exact same dress (light yellow chiffon, with a long, tight skirt that ended with a mini train at the ankle) and shoes ( 3" stiletto heels with one tiny strap over the toes and one tiny strap at the ankle holding them on). Despite practicing in the shoes for over a month, Bella had tripped going to the alter, on the way back down the aisle after the ceremony and three times during the obligatory bridal party dance. The third time she tripped on the dancefloor, she managed to break her ankle and stab her dance partner in the calf with her heel, causing a muscle tear that had to be repaired with surgery. Needless to say, she hadn't been asked to be in anymore weddings since then.

"Yes, that was quite an experience. Those shoes really should have had something more substantial to hold them onto your feet. It really wasn't your fault your foot completely slipped out of it." Renee suppressed a chuckle at the memory; Bella didn't need any reminders of her past incidents when dancing.

After they successfully found a matching wrap and purse, they took their purchases out to the car and headed for ice cream.

"So, tell me about this date of yours? Do you _like him_, like him?" Renee quizzed Bella as they sat down eating their mountains of ice cream deliciousness.

"Um, Josh? No, I don't _like him_, like him. He's just a friend of Jen and Mel's boyfriends. He hangs out with the whole group of us, and I guess he doesn't have a girlfriend right now. He's just going out with me as a favor to those guys." Bella was always comfortable talking about anything with her mom; Renee always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"Oh, well be careful then. Don't let yourself get too attached if he isn't in it for the long haul. But I'm guessing there is a little more to the story than you really know. That seems like an unlikely favor for a high school boy to do for his friend's girlfriend if he didn't already have an interest in you."

"Hmmm, I hadn't really thought of that. I don't want to get my hopes up, and I barely know the guy. I'll just see how the dance goes." Bella thought about what her mother said. _I wonder if Josh does like me? I wonder if I could like him?_ Then her thoughts veered toward the boy from her dreams, so she quickly changed the subject to avoid those fantasies. "Is Phil excited about his last game this season? Are you sure he won't be mad I didn't make it to any this year?"

"Phil is more excited about you going to the dance then he is about the game! He's really sorry he's going to miss it and is trying hard to get me to stay home. Are you positive you don't want me to be here for it? I could help you with your hair and makeup…" Renee started to sound wistful as she drifted off, waiting for Bella's reply.

"Ugh, NO Mom! I really don't want to make a big deal about this, and more attention is just going to make me nervous. I doubt we have enough memory cards for the camera to fit all the pictures you'd take; I'd be a nervous wreck before we even got to the dance! And don't worry," Bella placed her hand on Renee's arm to silence her protests, "I will make sure to take lots of pictures and get the biggest package they have of the professional shots from the dance. You hardly ever remember to print the pictures out that you take anyway, so this is probably better. Besides, you don't want to miss the end of season party, do you?"

"Well, I would hate to miss that. I won't see the other wives for a couple months, until Spring Training probably. And we do have such a good time together, it will be nice to see them one more time and say goodbye." Renee got up from the table and threw away their empty bowls and spoons. "Let's get home so I can show you how to do your hair and makeup!"

"Alright Mom, but only because I love you so much!" Bella laughed, knowing she couldn't deny her Mom this chance, especially since she was leaving her the night before the dance.

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THURSDAY NIGHT (night before the Homecoming dance)

"Good bye Mom, bye Phil! Have a great trip, good luck at the game!" Bella waved as her mother and step-father backed out of the driveway for Phil's last game of the season.

"Bye honey! We love you! Have fun and be safe tomorrow!" Renee was wiping away tears, thinking about how much Bella had grown up.

_Whew, time to relax,_ Bella sighed to herself. The last few hours before she left, Renee had been giving her zillions of last minute instructions about hair, makeup, what to take in her purse, and countless other things that Bella had already forgotten.

After zoning out to some stupid reality TV, Bella got ready for bed. Automatically, she fell into her nightly ritual of thinking about the past dreams she'd had with **him** and hoping she'd have another one that night. She was humming one of the songs they'd dance to together, putting away her homework in her bag. She thought again of the very first dream, wondering what was torturing him so much that time. Maybe it was the same thing that tortured her constantly; the fact that any second she'd awaken and be ripped away from her other half.

Bella dropped her Calculus textbook on her toe when she had that last thought. _My other half?_ She'd never thought of the boy that way, but as soon as she said it, the words made both absolute sense and no sense at all. In his eyes, she could see the entire depth of his soul; when he looked at her, she knew there was no one else who could ever care for her the way he did. When she was with him, she felt as if the whole world revolved around the two of them. When they were apart, her thoughts continually drifted to him; the rest of the world seemed meaningless to her. _But he isn't real!_ Bella kicked her book in frustration, wincing in pain when her already banged up toe hit the book again.

She bent down and checked her toe, which unfortunately did not seem to have been damaged by the book, so she didn't have an excuse to bail on the dance. She made the most of the break in her concentration and finished getting her books put away. _I've already made this decision, that's why I'm going to the dance with Josh._ While she was arranging her clothes for the next day, she glanced over at the dress hanging on her closet door. _I wonder if Mom is right about Josh. What if he does like me?_ Bella thought about the possibilities if that was true.

She started seriously thinking about the distinct differences between her real date and her "dream" date. On one hand, she felt this inexplicable bond with the boy in her dream, and she barely knew Josh. On the other hand, Josh was _real_, and the boy was something else completely.

"You _live_ in the real world, you need to have a LIFE in the real world Bella! For once and for all, you need to give up this fantasy and try to be happy in the here and now! And you really, really need to stop talking out loud to yourself!" Bella laughed as she threw herself down on the bed, exasperated with the bizarre choice she seemed to have before her. _A real life with a real boy…a real life with a real boy_; she whispered this mantra to herself as she drifted off to sleep that night.

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Suddenly, Bella found herself standing at the start of a dirt driveway, right off a highway out in the wilderness. Huge evergreen trees lined the driveway for as far as she could see. She shivered as a fierce wind blew around her. She looked around, wondering where she was this time, and more importantly, where **he** was. The wind continued to blow against her, chilling her to the core. When she finally looked down the road, she found his piercing golden eyes staring right at her. At once, she felt whole; she could no longer feel the glacial winds, no longer care where exactly she was.

He was walking toward her, and the wind was blowing even stronger. Her hair started whipping around her face as it escaped from the ribbon that was holding it back. As suddenly as she had found herself standing in the lane, she saw the trees start to fade away, signaling the much too soon ending to this dream. She continued to smile and then waved to him, trying to let him know she didn't want to leave. She turned away at the last moment, not wanting to see him disappear before her eyes.

When she woke up, she was shivering violently. Immediately, she jumped into the shower, almost scalding herself in an attempt to get warm. Convinced it was a sign, Bella was desperate to get out of going to the dance. As she got ready for school and made her way there, her mind was occupied simultaneously with coming up with a way out of the dance and thinking about how perfectly complete she felt when she was with the boy in her dream.

Of course, at school all anyone was talking about was the dance. Her girlfriends were so excited that Bella was going, she wasn't sure she could let them down.

"So, you _are_ coming over tonight to get ready, right Bells?" Melanie reiterated her invitation to come over and join Jennifer and Kelsey in the dance preparations that afternoon.

"No thanks Mel! I really appreciate the offer, but I think I'd rather get ready myself, and try and stay calm. If I get ready with you guys, I think I'll get so nervous I might pass out!" _On second thought, maybe that would be the best way to get out of it._ Bella was just about to take Melanie up on her offer when Jennifer chimed in.

"No way! You are totally right Bella, you probably couldn't take all the craziness with the three of us _and_ our moms! And knowing you, you'd probably use that as an excuse to bail on us. It has taken us 4 years of middle school and 2 and a quarter years of high school to finally get you to go to a dance. There is no way you are getting out of it now!"

"Okay, okay! Calm yourself Jen, I promise I'll be there." Bella frowned as she turned away from her friends to walk into her History class alone as they walked on to gym. _How am I going to get out of this?_

She was leaning over her notebook doodling, still deciding which rare disease she'd fake when Josh walked over and tapped on her desk. "Hey Bella, ready for tonight?" He blushed slightly when she turned up to look at him.

"Um, sure am! What time are you picking me up?" _Shoot, I don't think I can cancel now!_ She coughed slightly, desperate to give herself an out if she needed it.

"Are you okay? You aren't feeling ill, are you?" Josh looked worried, not in the "yikes, I might catch SARS from her" way, but in the "oh wow, I hope she's okay because I really wanted to take her to the dance" way.

"Oh, I think I just got something caught in my throat, I'm fine now." Bella started thinking again about how her mother might be right. _He does really look worried about me. I'm sure one dance won't kill me._ "What time should I be ready?"

"Right, I'll be there at 6:30 sharp! I can't wait!" The final bell rang and Josh grinned at her as he walked over to take his seat across the classroom.

For the rest of the day, she wrestled with her desire to be with her "other half"; she had taken to thinking about the boy in her dream that way since her revelation the night before. Part of her was convinced that somehow, someway they were destined to be together. The more rational part of her was firm on sticking with her promise to herself to live a real life and her commitments to her friends and Josh.

When Bella arrived home from school, she was still conflicted about what she was going to do. As she thought about the pros and cons of canceling on Josh, she noticed a large package on the porch. It was addressed to her, from a gourmet food company. _What the heck could this be?_ She was still puzzling over it as she opened the container to find a small, disposable cooler sitting inside. Something in her memory clicked, and she hastily opened the cooler to find a huge, vacuum-sealed chunk of Stilton bleu cheese staring up at her. She calmly picked it up, tossed it into the garbage and ran upstairs to start getting ready for the dance.

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Author's Note: Please, please, please review! It really inspires me to keep on plugging on the next chapter! Sorry this one seems to end abruptly, but I wanted to devote a lot of attention to the night of the dance. That chapter is already partially written, but it needs a lot of work before it will be ready to post. I hope to have it up in the next couple of days though! Thanks again for reading and reviewing


	7. Chapter 7: Twinkle Toes

_**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the **__**Twilight**__** saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by **__**The Time Traveler's Wife**__** by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own.**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! As to the questions about Edward's mom and the "mysterious dark figures"…all will be revealed in the next couple chapters.**_

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Chapter 7: Twinkle Toes

**Quick Recap: Bella has decided that she needs to go to the Homecoming dance with a date in an effort to have a real life and get over her fantasies about her dream boy.**

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BPOV

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The afternoon of the dance, Bella found herself sitting at her mother's vanity wondering idly if there was a possibility that **he** might be at the dance. And then she remembered the cheese delivery she received a few hours ago. She shook her head, trying to snap out of her trance. _Okay Bella, you have to get over this infatuation you have with a dream! You need to live a real life, remember?_ No matter how many times she made this decision, her thoughts kept drifting to the boy from her dreams.

She tugged at her ponytail, trying to get a little more volume at the top like her mother had shown her. Right about now she was wishing she had taken up her girlfriend Melanie's offer of getting ready at her house with Kelsey and Jennifer. But she was having a hard enough time trying to get past her sadness of not being with the boy from her dreams without having to deal with the squealing excitement of a bunch of teenage girls going on and on about their dates.

_Let's get a move on_, she thought as she reluctantly put her lipstick in her clutch and walked downstairs to put on her death traps and wait on the couch for her date. As if on cue, her doorbell rang. Josh stood on the front porch with a corsage in his hand, the passenger door of his shiny black Miata already open. Bella was glad she had convinced her mother to stick with her plans to go away for the weekend. She didn't think she could take all the pictures and attention she would have gotten had Renee been home.

"This is for you, you look stunning Bella." Josh carefully took her hand and placed the corsage around her wrist.

Bella smiled and blushed slightly. _Wow, he looks great! I never noticed how attractive he was before. He's being awfully nice to me; he must be a really good guy to take out a friend's girlfriend's friend as a favor._ Bella marveled at the new feelings that were starting to show up when she was in Josh's presence.

"Thanks Josh. It's beautiful and, um, you look very nice yourself. Well, let's go so we aren't late!" She breathed a sigh of relief when he held his arm out for her to take as they walked down the steps to the car. She had been very uneasy about navigating in the heels her mother had insisted she wear with her dress. She would have gladly replaced them with her favorite Converse sneakers (no matter how they looked with the dress!) but all of her friends had sworn to Renee that they would report back exactly what Bella had worn to the Homecoming dance.

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AT THE DANCE

"Have you seen her yet?" Melanie bounced over to Bella as soon as she and Josh walked into the gym.

"Seen who?" Bella has no idea who her friend could be talking about, since Jen and Kelsey were standing right next to her, so she clearly wasn't talking about either of them.

"You know who! The dress girl!" Jen piped up, practically squealing with excitement, moving her hand up and down in front of her dress, as if modeling it.

_Ah, that's right; I forgot all about that possibility!_ Bella smiled as she remembered telling her friends about the hideous dress someone at their school had bought for the dance. The girls hadn't believed Bella's description of the dress, since she never wore dresses and had questionable fashion sense herself. So, they'd dragged her to the mall to show them, since they couldn't find it online. There it had stood, in all its glory, on one of the main mannequins in the dress department. Tina, the saleswoman that helped Bella before, walked by them and shook her head sadly as she watched them gawk over the dress.

"The dress you bought looks perfect on you honey, don't be too sad about missing out on this one." Tina looked positively forlorn as she tried to "cheer up Bella." Bella tried to keep her giggling under control as she responded.

"I couldn't resist showing it to my friends; it is just too amazing for words. But you're right; the dress I bought is perfect for me. I don't think hot pink compliments my complexion quite as well." When Tina left, still shaking her head, Kelsey grabbed the dress and ran to the dressing room.

"Melanie, get out the camera! We are _all_ trying this baby on!" Over the next hour, they all tried the dress on and posed for various pictures. They had compiled a list of the most likely girls to show up in it; Jen and Kelsey had a $50 bet on the outcome.

Bella giggled as she brought herself back to reality. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! No, I haven't seen her yet, have you? I really hope, for her sake, she tried the dress on again at home and had a change of heart. Can you imagine showing up here in something like that?"

"Oh no, I hope she stuck to her decision and is going to make our night as entertaining as possible! What color do you think her accessories will be? I suppose plain silver shoes would be a good match, but we can always hope for more!" Kelsey was bouncing in excitement.

The girls and their dates wandered over to the refreshment area, checking out the snacks and the drink bar. They each grabbed a drink and one of the boys piled a bunch of goodies onto a large plate. They moved over to one of the big tables and settled in to talk and watch the rest of their classmates for a while.

Bella sipped on her water; she was afraid to get anything else to drink since the likelihood that she'd spill it on someone was pretty high. She twirled the straw around in her fingers, nervous about spending so much time with Josh alone. While there were three other couples sitting at the same table, her friends were all engrossed in their own private conversations with their dates, no one paying any attention to Bella and Josh.

"So, you work at 'The Pen and Ink,' right?" Bella's straw slipped out of her hand as Josh startled her with his question.

"Um, yeah. I've worked there since the summer before I started high school." She answered quickly, still nervous around her date.

"What's it like in there? I've never been inside. What made you want to work there? I think it would be totally boring." Josh smiled slightly at Bella, waiting for her answer.

"It is simply wonderful inside! Books everywhere you turn, and the store is so comfortable inside, with cozy chairs scattered around. Whenever I walk in the door, the smell of books and cinnamon hits me and I feel like I am home. It doesn't even really feel like work most of the time!" Bella lit up when she talked about the book store. She loved books, but there was something special about this store. "It isn't impersonal like all the big name stores; Tiffany knows most of her customers by name and favorite book. She goes out of her way to let them know when a new book comes in that they might like."

"Oh, like when Game Stop calls to tell me Turbo Ninja Motorbike Supreme VII is finally in? That's cool!" Josh smiled brightly when he finally found something to connect with in her words.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. What's your favorite book? Tiffany and I have a theory that you can tell everything you need to know about someone based on their book preferences."

"Oh, _Dracula_ is my favorite story, hands down. Vampires are so cool!" Josh gave Bella a wide grin, as if trying to show her his 'fangs.'

"Oh, I read that a few years ago. It was a little on the dark side for me, but very well written. I don't remember a lot of the detail, maybe I should read it again." Bella was pleasantly surprised that Josh liked such an acclaimed novel. She had expected his favorite to be some sort of sports star's biography or something trivial like that.

"Oh, don't bother reading it again! I'll just bring over the DVD sometime and we can watch it. I bought it last year when we were reading it in English…normally I can watch the movie once and get through the class, but this time we read it over several months and had tons of papers and tests. I kept having to refresh on the storyline. I wound up only getting a C in that class; the teacher kept giving me points off when I wrote about something that was in the movie that she said wasn't really in the book." Josh frowned at the memory, but then shrugged and moved on. "So, do you want to dance at all?" He motioned to the rest of their friends who had moved out onto the dance floor while they were talking.

"Uh, well, it is a slow song, so okay, let's give it a try." _Watch the DVD? What kind of moron – shut up Bella! Most guys aren't into books, just let it go! Forget the Tiffany theory; it's not like she is happily married or anything._ Bella thoughts came a million miles an hour, but she shook them off and took Josh's hand. And then she completely lost her train of thought as he pulled her close and slowly swayed to the music.

_Hmm, this is nice. He smells so clean and fresh, I wonder what kind of cologne he uses. This is definitely nice, I could get used to a real boy. And I haven't fallen or hurt anyone yet; this could be my lucky night! Definitely liking real life right now. _Bella let her thoughts wander as they danced, and managed to keep her thoughts to the present, not drifting to her dreams like they normally did.

Josh had evidently gotten her hints about not wanting to dance too much. When the song was over, the DJ picked up the pace with a faster one, so he grabbed Bella's hand and led her back over to their table. "Let's sit down and watch the crazy fast dancers."

"OH MY GOD! Omigodomigodomigod! BELLA!!! Do you seeeeee her???" Kelsey was running over to the table, practically screaming as she approached. Melanie and Jen had obviously heard her and headed over to the table as well.

"WHO Kelsey? What on earth are you talking….OH MY GOD! Hand over the money Kelsey! I can't believe you bet against Jen when she picked her!" Bella laughed when she realized what Kelsey had been screaming about.

Across the room, Jasmine had pushed her way through the crowd to the middle of the dance floor with Marcia and Cathy flanking her sides. She was the biggest bitch in the school; her parents were loaded and she acted as if everyone should bow down to her and treat her like a queen. Unfortunately, too many of their fellow students believed her and therefore Jasmine was one of the most popular girls at school.

And she was the one who had bought the hideous dress!

As the spotlight swept over her, Bella and her friends sat down, floored by the full effect of the dress and accessories as worn by Jasmine. They were laughing so hard they could no longer stand up! Of course, they knew what the dress was going to look like, but Jasmine had somehow managed to make it even more revealing by buying it in a size too small and squeezing her breasts in the top. She had the boa draped over one shoulder, dragging behind her like a train. Her nails matched the pink of the bodice exactly, as did the four inch heels she had tied to her feet with satin ribbon running half way up her calves. Even from 50 feet away, the rhinestones in the huge chandelier earrings glittered in the light. But the most impressive addition that Jasmine had found was the pink and green jeweled tiara that rested in the curls heaped on top of her head.

Bella recovered the fastest, and elbowed Kelsey as she continued to stare at Jasmine with her mouth wide open. "Of all the people, surely she was the most obvious person. And at least I don't have to worry about the wearer being embarrassed; by Monday half the school will be wearing hot pink and neon green like it is the new black! It astounds me how much influence money has, no matter the person who wields it." She noticed that Josh was still staring at Jasmine, but she figured he, like the rest of her friends, couldn't tear his eyes away from the train wreck.

Jasmine and her entourage grabbed some guys from the crowd and began to dance. After a few minutes, it was clear that they had used a massive amount of body tape so that Jasmine wouldn't inadvertently flash the whole school; the rest of the students resumed their activities once the show was over.

Bella and Josh sat out for a while, since there was a long set of fast songs. They chatted a little about their families and friends, and then lapsed into a peaceful silence as they ran out of things to talk about. A couple times Bella saw Josh staring in the direction of Jasmine, but when she finally caught his eye, he just shrugged.

"Um, just checking to see if she had gotten any more ridiculous!" Josh mumbled after he looked away from the dance floor.

"Ha ha! As if that could possibly happen!" Bella chuckled at the thought, then noticed the DJ had slowed the music down again. She was just about to suggest that they dance when she noticed Jasmine headed straight for them.

"Oh Joshy…don't you want to dance with me?" she purred, not even acknowledging Bella.

"Sorry Jas, I'm here with Bella tonight. In fact, we were just about to head out to dance. See you later." Josh cut her off quickly, taking Bella's hand and leading her to the floor without glancing again at Jasmine. "I apologize Bella, that was quite rude of her."

"It certainly was, but it wasn't your fault. You have nothing to apologize for. Let's just enjoy this dance." With that, she pulled him closer and laid her head on his shoulder, everything else drifting from her mind.

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LATER DURING THE DANCE

Bella continued to be surprised at how much fun she was having with Josh. He was quite good looking, only a few inches taller than her, with jet black hair and light blue eyes, his build what you'd expect for a soccer player and, like most Phoenix natives, he was incredibly tan. In many ways, the opposite of **him**, the dream boy she was trying so hard to forget. Maybe that was why she was able to concentrate on Josh, because he didn't remind her. They might not have a ton in common, but their conversation had been pleasant and the silences weren't awkward.

He was very comfortable to be around, as if they'd known each other for years. So far, she'd only tripped once and Josh had kept her from falling flat on her face. They'd only danced twice, slow songs both times so she didn't have to move that much. She'd enjoyed both dances, enjoyed being held close by Josh. She knew that he only asked her as a favor to his friends who were going with Kelsey and Jennifer; but she was starting to think her mother was right, he might actually like her.

"I think I'm going to get some punch, would you like some Bella?" Josh looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, yes please! If you don't mind, I think I will just sit here rather than try and kill someone making my way across the room in these heels!" Really, he did seem to like her. Bella's heart did a little flip as he turned and winked at her from across the room. Suddenly, she was grabbed on both sides by manicured hands and dragged into the bathroom.

"Bella and Josh sittin' in a treeeeee…" Melanie started singing loudly.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Kelsey finished the line screaming each letter totally out of tune.

"Stop it girls! Someone is going to hear you! What if he doesn't like me like that?" Bella hissed at her friends, her face burning with a bright crimson blush. "You said he only asked me out as a favor anyway."

"Silly Bella!" Jennifer shook her head at Bella's foolishness. "We did him the favor of getting you to go out with him, not the other way around! When are you going to see yourself the way most of the boys in our school do?" Jennifer playfully grabbed Bella by the chin and forced her to look in the mirror. "You are just as gorgeous as anyone else here tonight, more gorgeous than everyone but the three of us – haha!"

"Really, he actually likes me? I'd never noticed that before." Bella pondered this for a moment, trying to think of times they'd been together before to see if she could see any preference for her in hindsight.

"Ya think? Maybe because you are usually brooding over your "dream boy" and never give any real guys a chance. What made you change your mind this time, anyway?" Kelsey reminded Bella of her original mission tonight. She didn't answer right away, thinking about what answer she could give her friends that might make sense.

_What am I going to tell them? Anything remotely close to the truth is going to sound insane! Maybe I can blame Renee…yeah, that's a good idea,_ Bella thought as she considered the possible answers she could give.

"Bella, calling Bella back to reality!" Melanie snapped her fingers in front of Bella's dazed expression. "Are you going to answer Kelsey's question or what? What finally convinced you that you are a normal teenage girl who deserves a nice, normal teenage boy?"

"Oh, sorry about that, just day dreaming. Right, um, my mom was pretty adamant that I was going to have to go to Prom, right?" Bella stumbled through her answer, making it up as she went along. "So I figured that I better try out the whole 'school dance' thing before the big event. And then I thought maybe if it was horrible, she wouldn't make me go to Prom! You could have knocked me over with a feather when I figured out I was actually having a good time! Me! At a dance!" Her enthusiasm near the end distracted the girls from her inattention earlier.

"I told you so! I can't believe you waited until Junior year to finally wake up. At least it is the beginning of the year. We still have at least 3 more dances before Prom for more 'practice.' Although we really need to start looking for the dresses for the Winter Formal soon. The theme is WWI, and it is going to be hard to find unique dresses that fit the style in just 5 weeks. I can't believe they waited that long to tell us the theme when it is so complicated!" Happy that Bella was finally getting into the social scene, Kelsey just prattled on about random dance stuff for a little while. "I wonder what the boys will find to wear."

Bella shivered, thinking about the agony that could accompany more school dances. "Let's just get through this one in one piece, okay? Then we can talk about dress shopping." The girls made their way back to the dance floor, into the waiting arms of their respective boys.

"Would you like to dance again, or sit down and talk some more? We haven't discussed favorite movies yet…except for Dracula of course!" Josh looked longingly at the dance floor, but stayed rooted to the spot, not wanting to force Bella into dancing if she didn't want to.

"Oh, it's a fast one! I'm game, let's go and I'll try not to maim you!" Bella was caught up Josh's smile and the happy atmosphere at the dance, allowing herself to try one of the few things she was actually terrified of doing. "I love this song; it makes me feel so free!" The DJ had decided to lighten things up and pay homage to all the teachers in the room by playing "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Thanks to the rising popularity of ballroom dancing, even some of the students recognized it as a hustle. Soon, tons of kids were whirling and twirling across the floor in their own version of the 70s dance. Bella and Josh were getting in on the action, Josh careful to not let go of Bella's hand. But eventually Bella's luck ran out. She was having such a carefree time, she decided she'd try a spin (like she did on her own out in a soft field listening to her MP3 player). Unfortunately, she'd never practiced in 2" heels and she came crashing down, twisting her left ankle underneath herself as she fell.

"Oh! Darn it, there goes klutzy Bella again, ruining everyone's evening. I'm sorry Josh, but if you could help me over to a chair you can go back to enjoying your evening." _Why does this always happen to me_, Bella screamed to herself. She tried to keep a sheepish grin on for Josh's sake, so maybe he wouldn't be too mad at her.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella! Here, let me help you." Josh picked her up and carried her to a chair in the far corner, where it seemed they could attract the least amount of attention. However, it was the _far_ corner, so by the time they made it there, the music was almost drowned out by the murmurs coming from the dance floor. "No one will notice you over here; I'll go get you some ice for that. Do you think you need to see a doctor?"

Bella just shook her head; she'd injured herself enough to know that this was just a sprain, a minor one at that. She'd be back to "normal" again in a few days, ready to fall down another set of stairs or trip over flat ground. _I thought he said no one would notice me here? Why is everyone staring at me then?_ Her face turned beet red as she noticed more and more people from the drink bar turning and looking her way. She plastered a smile on her face as Jennifer and Melanie headed her way, with Kelsey pulling up the rear holding a napkin with ice.

"Bella, are you okay? Should we take you to the doctor…he's probably expecting you if he knew you were coming to the dance tonight – ha!" Mel could always be counted on to try and lighten things up. She took the ice from Kelsey and handed it over to Bella. "Seriously, how bad is it? No matter how bad it is, I bet it was totally worth it to have Josh rescue you like that…carrying you like that was _sooo_ romantic!"

"It's just a slight sprain, no big deal. Thank goodness I won't need crutches, you know how much more dangerous I am with them!" Bella joked with her friends so they wouldn't worry about her, but the truth was that her ankle was already feeling better and she felt embarrassed by the early "damsel in distress" scene that had played out. _What did she mean "rescue me"? How did she know Josh carried me over here, I saw all three of them walk in from the other room straight to the drink table before coming over here._ Bella couldn't understand Mel's last comments. "How did you know he carried me over here? You weren't here when it happened."

"I know, but I heard him telling everyone over at the drink bar what happened. Of course when he asked for ice people assumed you had hurt yourself. So naturally he had to tell the story of how you blacked out and he carried you safely over to the nearest chair. I swear, one date and you get all the romance!" Melanie looked like she was going to swoon.

"What? Blacked out? No, I just fell on my ankle, and closed my eyes out of embarrassment. Wow, I can't believe he thought I blacked out. He must think I am a total wuss." The blood drained out of her face as Bella noticed Josh was now within hearing distance. She looked down at her ankle, adjusting her ice, afraid to look up and meet his gaze. When she finally did, she noticed that all her friends had abandoned her and were winking from across the room. When Jennifer fake fainted into Kelsey's arms, Bella giggled a little and turned to Josh. "I am mortified! I know I am a klutz, but I didn't black out back there. I just tripped a little, these stupid shoes!"

"I didn't think you blacked out, that must be one heck of a quick rumor!" Josh smiled at Bella, not answering the question in her eyes.

"But, Melanie said…" Josh put his hand over her mouth lightly, not letting her talk anymore.

"Now now Bella, don't get yourself all worked up. You need to relax so you can recover. How about I take you home in a few minutes, so you can get comfortable." Josh spoke in soothing tones, but there was something oddly patronizing about his words. "It looks like my explanation at the bar seemed to put you more in the spotlight, and I'm sure that is the last thing you wanted."

Bella just nodded in agreement, slightly mollified by his last statement. _I knew he wouldn't do something like that on purpose,_ she thought as she got up from the chair to take his arm for the long walk to the car.

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Author's Note: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please, please, please review! I love knowing what you think, and it helps inspire me to write faster. Don't forget to check the poll on my profile about whether Edward should be the one to find Bella when the meet in person. Sorry there is no Edward in this chapter, but that is kind of the point of the whole story arc, and I promise I will make it up to you. BTW, the homecoming storyline is not quite over, but I'll be posting an Edward POV chapter before I finish it up. This was a natural break point. Oh, in case you were wondering, Josh is NOT a vampire…don't get too excited about that Dracula reference.

_**Also, check out my other Twilight story "Black Friday – Alice Cullen Style!" It is a funny story, set post-Breaking Dawn with canon pairings. Just something fun to chuckle at!**_


	8. Chapter 8: Waiting is the hardest part

_Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and plot of the __Twilight__ saga which are property of Stephenie Meyer. The idea for time travel was inspired by __The Time Traveler's Wife__ by Audrey Niffeneger. The plots which I introduce in this story are the only thing that I own._

_Author's Note: This is my first story, so I really appreciate all the reviews and constructive criticism (more criticism, please!!!). _

_**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, hits and favorites! All you anonymous reviewers – I wish I could thank you all individually, but this will have to do. A special shout out to one of my loyal readers ..Attic for promoting "Destiny of Dreams" on her profile page! And to my loyal reader/reviewers taylorcullenforever, Hawkins, ilovemclife, and fanwriter95 for diligently reading and reviewing every chapter :)**__** Please check out their stuff too…they've got some great stories!**_

_Also, just a reminder – Bella's "dreams" don't happen to her in the same order that they happen to Edward. The timing of each visit means something different to each of them, but makes sense based on what is happening in their real lives at the time. And I took some liberties with parts of the original storyline, so I'm sure there are a few inaccuracies._

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Chapter 8 – Waiting is the hardest part

_Brief Recap: When we last saw Edward, he had just gotten back from hunting in the field where Bella appeared and he called her "love." Alice had a vision that she won't tell him, or the rest of the family, about but swears it is a good vision. He knows she is real and they will be together in the near future, but is obviously impatient. This chapter takes place in early October, __before__ Bella's homecoming dance._

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EPOV

Edward trudged through the hallway, making his way toward Biology. _Thank God this is almost the end of the day. I think I'd prefer to move quicker next time if it meant I didn't have to sit through high school yet again. At least in college there's always a class that I haven't taken before._ He sighed as he sat down at his empty desk; he was the only one without a lab partner, not that he needed one.

The rest of the kids in the class listened to their inner voices that told them to avoid him, which suited him just fine. Unencumbered with needless small talk a partner would bring, his thoughts wound their way to his angel. He thought back to the first time he'd seen her after his change.

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Flashback – 1926, Edward had been changed for 8 years

Edward and Carlisle were on a quick hunting trip in northern Maine, not that far from their home in New Hampshire. Edward's thirst for human blood was his constant companion, barely sated with animals, even when he managed to find a mountain lion; he had yet to taste it, but he longed for it almost more than anything. His allegiance to his "father" and desire to not disappoint him ranked just a bit higher, tying him to the "vegetarian" lifestyle.

Lately, however, he had been thinking of a compromise. His uncanny ability to "know" what people were thinking when he was a human had become greatly enhanced by his change, giving him the power to read anyone's mind. The insight he gained with his power disgusted him. He had always known that there were bad people, but the depth of evil that many possessed shocked him to the core. Each despicable person whose thoughts he came across made him more and more cynical. After 8 years, he was beginning to despair of ever finding much good in the human race.

He watched his father with awe, continually impressed with his ability to overcome his thirst and perform his amazing work saving lives. As time passed, both slowly and quickly as it always seemed to a vampire, Edward began to feel a strong desire to also perform a service for the innocent people around him. He could hardly consider joining his father in his occupation; it had taken Carlisle several hundred years to develop his resistance. It was often still a struggle for Edward to be out in a crowd of people if he hadn't hunted within the last day.

He never lamented Carlisle turning him; as he grew to understand the complexities that lay in being a vampire with a conscience, he also understood the loneliness. There were some wonderful sides to the life of a vampire; immortality, the incredible speed, the unchallengeable strength. But between Carlisle's teachings and his own acute awareness, Edward was left with a long existence of turning against his very nature, trying to keep the monster inside at bay. He could easily see the need for a companion to share in the torture.

Most of the other vampires they had met from time to time were so enthralled with the immortality and the sheer power that they never gave a thought to the inherent evil they embodied. The animal nature of the monster thrived on their diet of human blood; none that they met had ever abstained like Carlisle and Edward. Carlisle's theory was that by not drinking from humans, they stayed more human; when he coupled that theory with his mind reading, Edward couldn't rationalize killing innocent humans for his own pleasure.

However, killing the guilty ones had definitely occurred to him. It seemed to be a perfect compromise; allowing him to quench his relentless thirst and still protecting innocents. How could it not be good if his killing one person prevent the rape and murder of countless others?

He had never brought this up to Carlisle before, but he had been thinking of little else of late and wanted to get it out in the open. "Carlisle, I have something fairly sensitive that I would like to discuss with you." He looked to his father for permission to continue.

"Go ahead, my son. You know you can tell me anything." Carlisle looked at Edward, studying him seriously, carefully constructing a look of acceptance on his face.

"You know how much I admire your work, and how much I want to contribute in a similar way myself. However, it is impossible for me to join you in the noble laborings you do."

"Son, we have been over this countless times. It has taken me several centuries to perfect the discipline which allows me to interact with humans the way I do. While your abilities give you even more of an advantage in denying your thirst, you are too inexperienced to think of testing yourself in such ways. You have eternity to help society; now you should concentrate on learning all you can and focusing your control." Carlisle stopped Edward, believing him to be embarking on a conversational path they had many times meandered down. He did feel that Edward's mind reading capabilities gave him added incentive to not kill; as he heard the thoughts, especially fear, of an intended victim, he wouldn't be able to help himself from humanizing them. However, he did not see the sense in trying to test his theory when his son was so young to this lifestyle and had eons to perfect his control.

"I understand what you are saying Father, I have a _new_ perspective on how I can contribute to society. It is my 'extra sense', as it were, that is the key to this new idea. You know how I struggle to accept the monstrous side of our existence, as well as the depth of evil inherent in all humanity. I cannot adequately describe the disgust and hatred I feel when I encounter the minds of these evil murders and worse that walk our streets." Edward paused, trying to take in Carlisle's body language and his rambling thoughts.

_I can't bear to hear him beat himself up again for not being able to join me at the hospital…_

_Oh, I see, a new idea, what can _that_ be? _

_Use his power; read people's minds for good? _

_His hatred of evil…where can this be going?_ "Edward!" He gasped out loud when he realized where his son was headed with this conversation. "You must understand that this is just a manipulation of right and wrong; as assured as you would be of the guiltiness, it is still not your justice to deliver." He shook his head as his thoughts continued to wander. _He did not choose this life, and has been amazingly loyal to me thus far. I must allow him to make this decision himself, and see how he truly wants to live for eternity._

Edward backpedaled mentally at Carlisle's reaction. _He's not ready for this, perhaps I need to think about it some more. I thought he would understand and give me his blessing; I need more time to convince him of all the good I could do_. "Don't worry yourself needlessly. I was merely toying with the idea and wanted to run it by you. I can see now I was mistaken; it is not the answer to my problems right now." _There, I have calmed him down, but not outright lied to him. It may not be the answer now, but a day will come soon when it will be._

"Alright my boy, but please promise me you'll continue to talk to me about any decisions you make along these lines. I love you, and I can never explain how much your companionship means to me, but you must be free to do as you choose and not feel compelled to follow my 'rules' if they are not also your own." Carlisle then focused on the hunt, attempting to hide the rest of his thoughts so as not to sway Edward in his decisions. He truly believed that Edward would come to the right conclusion, but he had to do it on his own. "I hear a herd of deer in that field a couple of miles to the North, let's race!"

Edward was about to follow him through the woods when he heard a slight sound behind him. He turned, shocked by the sight he beheld. _How can __**she**__ be __**here**__?_

Standing in front of him, radiating beauty with every breath, was **the girl**. The one who danced his way into his heart that night, the only night he clearly remembers now. The one his mother called his destiny with that knowing look in her eye. The one who, when she left, tore his still beating heart right down the center, breaking it in a way he thought he would never be able to put the pieces back together.

As impossible as it seemed, there she stood, glancing around looking for something, not yet noticing him in the shadows of the evergreens. Immediately, he felt his heart pull itself together, piece by piece; every moment he continued to gaze at her, he felt it grow fuller and fuller. _I didn't think I even had a heart anymore! How is it possible to feel this way again?_

Fearful of scaring her, he tentatively called out. "Hello!" The sun was weaving in and out of the clouds, so he didn't dare venture out from beneath the safety of the trees, lest he frighten her with his freakish nature.

Her mahogany hair cascaded down her back in brilliant curls as she looked up and met his eyes with the same pair of endless pools of chocolate that he'd fallen into 8 years prior. He tried to read her expression, expecting fear but instead finding…contentment? Puzzled, he opened his mind to her thoughts, hoping to gain insight. Shockingly, all he heard were the sounds of the forest and the light breeze bristling from the trees behind him. Before he could form an opinion about this aberration, she began to speak.

"Hello. I'm so glad to see you again." She grinned brilliantly as she said this, dazzling him with her splendor. "I've missed these dreams." She sighed, saying the last part under her breath. Of course, he heard it; without her accompanying thoughts to explain it, he was desperate to understand her.

"Dreams? I thought you were **my** dream." He struggled with himself to stay hidden; the sun had come out in full force, causing red flecks to shine out from her already gorgeous locks. _Could anyone be this beautiful?_ He felt he had to be looking at a mirage.

"Never mind that. I'm sure we don't have much time, I don't want to waste it." She bent over and laid something on the ground; it appeared to be a book. She began slowly walking toward him, her arms open, as if ready to embrace him. She looked to Edward as if she was afraid of falling, but he couldn't be sure. Again, he cursed internally as he couldn't hear her thoughts, confused by her caution. Obviously she recognized him; moreover, she seemed thrilled to see him. _Where had this angel come from?_

She hadn't neared him by even 10 feet when he stiffened. The winds shifted and he caught the scent of some nearby elk, reminding him of the purpose of this visit to the forest. He was still struggling with his control so much, he could not chance being near to her. He backed up, matching her step for step. Her brow furrowed as she realized he was retreating from her.

"What's wrong? Did I frighten you?" She looked up at him mournfully, tears brimming in her searching eyes.

"No, you didn't frighten me. I'm afraid I'll frighten you. I'm different than I was when I last saw you. I can't begin to explain how pleased I am to see you, but I can't be that selfish. It isn't safe for you here." Edward stifled a laugh at the thought of her scaring him. He hoped he conveyed his messages correctly; it was all he could do to not run to her and wipe away her tears, yet he couldn't bear to risk her safety.

"You say that, yet I don't believe you. I always feel safest when I am with you, no matter how unreal it is. Sadly, this visit has come to its end too quickly, as usual. See you in my dreams!" She had smiled when he expressed his pleasure at her presence, but her face took on a wistful look as she began her goodbye. And goodbye it was; he heard her last sentence as a whisper from the mist that surrounded the place she had just been standing. He walked over and picked up the book she'd left; Wuthering Heights, a story he'd read many times.

After searching pointlessly for her for an hour, Edward finally gave up and found Carlisle. As they ran home, he thought through the possibilities. She was definitely human, he had heard her heartbeat. She looked exactly the same as she had the night of the dance, certainly not 8 years older. She had gotten close enough to see him that she would have been able to see some of the differences in him, especially the fact that he also had not aged; yet she hadn't shown any surprise. He couldn't read her mind, but he hadn't been able to do that the last time they met, so it was unclear whether this was new. He felt it must be a sign she was different than others; somehow related to how she seemed to know him well and hadn't aged either. She spoke as if they had been together more often that just that evening, although he knew it was impossible for him to have forgotten even a second he spent with her.

Carlisle, sensing Edward's mood, had not pushed him to explain his long absence during the hunting trip. When his son returned to him, they quickly sated their thirst and began to return home. Once, he directed a though to Edward, letting him know he was giving him some space. _If you want to talk about it, simply ask. I will not seek to invade your privacy and ask you to share what you don't wish to._ Edward nodded to him in acknowledgement as the trees blurred past their running forms.

"Carlisle, do you believe in destiny?" As they slowed their pace, reaching the outer perimeter of their home property, Edward struck up a conversation about the afternoon's events.

"Hm, destiny? Well, I like to think there is some divine providence that has led me to this life; allowing for some good to come of the evil in our nature. Something like fate brought me to you and your mother as you both lay dying in Chicago. Although the decision to change you I have always attributed to your mother. It was as if she knew exactly what she was asking me to do when she begged me to save you." Carlisle mulled over the question, his words mirroring his thoughts.

"Yes, my mother. She always seemed to know the exact right thing to do…" Edward drifted off, lost in a swirl of thoughts. "Carlisle, I think I'm going to take a walk around town. Since I've just hunted, I feel confident going alone."

"That's fine my boy. I'll be here if you want to talk some more." Carlisle knew that something profound had happened that afternoon, but he wasn't sure of the nature of the event. Given time, he was sure Edward would find his way to confide in him.

Edward continued across their property, down the path to the sidewalk in front of their house. He walked for miles, into town and all around. At first, he just concentrated on his own thoughts, thinking about how often his mother had been right about his life. It was more than just typical parental knowledge, he felt it. And what about her words about this girl? "…she is your destiny. You **will** find her again." He couldn't deny that this was the same girl; exactly the same girl. But he hadn't found her, she had found him. And she was gone yet again, disappearing untraceably into the mist in the forest.

The draw to her was, if anything, stronger than it had been that first night. Her mere presence made him feel whole in way he didn't think possible. In every fiber of his being, he felt an overwhelming need to comfort and protect her. He allowed himself a moment of fantasy, imagining holding her close to him, her warmth and sweetness enveloping him; looking deep in her brilliant chocolate eyes, his breath hitching in his chest as he contemplated her luscious pink lips. Inexplicably, the word _love_ made its way into his mind, but he pushed it back immediately. _There is no love for the monster that I am! _

Enough time had passed since he had last seen her that he'd almost given up hope of finding her. The day after the dance, he had gone to everyone on his mother's invitation list and queried them about the girl; almost everyone had seen her, but no one knew who she was. Carlisle wouldn't let them live in Chicago, too close to people that might have known them 8 years ago and they lack of aging would have been too suspicious. But Edward had visited to look for her several times a year, once he had enough control over his thirst to be around people. Of course, not knowing her name or anything about her didn't help his search. He found no sign of her anywhere, but kept his eyes and mind open to the possibility of finding her at every moment.

With thoughts of her still drifting in his mind, he began listening to the thoughts of the people around him. Mainly, he heard the drivel of everyday life, thoughts about what to have for dinner, whether the new skirt styles would suit someone's body, a problem to be resolved at work. Occasionally, there were thoughts of love or longing that reverberated in his mind as he empathized with the thinkers.

He turned into a bookstore, searching for something new to help occupy his mind. As he wandered the shelves, he spotted her! As he strode purposefully toward the girl with the cascading mahogany curls, he stopped short when he realized he could hear her thoughts. _Oh my word, it is already 5 o'clock! My husband is going to be furious if his dinner isn't ready by 6. I can't afford to make him angry, my wrist still hurts from the last time._ The woman dropped the book she was holding and hastily made her way out the door.

Edward growled quietly as he followed her out of the shop. He walked behind her for several blocks, but kept on his normal route home when she turned off. Judging from her thoughts, she was going to be able to complete her meal in time, staving off punishment for the evening. This woman was not his angel, but she could have been! He would not stand for **her** to be hurt in any way! It was clearer than ever to him that he had to do what he could to protect people from the malevolent forces in this world, like this poor woman's husband. He didn't know when the one in danger might be **her**, and that wasn't a risk he was willing to take. He wasn't ready to defy Carlisle yet, but he felt that with some additional discussions he could persuade his father of the benefits of his plan. For now, he would just wait, continuing to work on his control and attempting to find the right words to convince Carlisle.

_**End of Flashback**_

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"Mr. Cullen, do you have an answer to my question?" Mr. Banner drew Edward's attention back to the present, calling him out on his daydreams.

"Yes sir, it is the mitochondria of the cells that generate ATP." Calmly, Edward answered the question he'd barely heard during his reverie.

"Uh, that's correct. Now, for your homework tonight…" _I should know by now that the Cullen kid always knows the answer. I think I'll just leave him alone from now on. He gets perfect grades, does it really matter if he pays attention to my lecture?_ Mr. Banner was momentarily stunned when Edward answered correctly, but he quickly recovered, assigning mountains of reading for homework. Edward tuned him out as soon as the teacher's thoughts had drifted back to the rest of the class.

As he collected his books at the end of class, Edward looked down at the drawings he'd made while he thought. He was particularly struck with the picture of the book she had left; he'd forgotten all about that! He had it in a box in his closet, but hadn't really looked at it since the first day. He'd read the story a million times in different schools, so he hadn't felt the need to read that copy. Occasionally he would take it out and turn it over in his hands, trying to imagine her holding it the same way. But he hadn't ever searched the book for clues to who she was. His ire overtook him. _How could I have wasted such an opportunity? I am beyond moronic, having this link to her for 80 years and not doing anything about it. _

Impatient to begin scrutinizing his treasure, he drew up his features in pain and slumped over his lab bench. "Mr. Banner, I don't feel so well. I t-think I have a migraine," he whimpered, laying it on thick. The startled teacher looked at him, confusion settling in on his face. _He seemed fine a few minutes ago. Huh, he does look pale, even for him. _Edward grimaced, trying to show extreme pain.

"Sorry to hear that Mr. Cullen. Why don't you go to the nurse and have her check you out."_ I guess he's telling the truth._

"T-thanks Mr. Banner." He slowly rose from the bench and made his way out of the classroom, making a show of leaning on the other benches and wall for support. Once in the hallway, he quickly walked down to the nurse's office where he resumed his acting. But one quick smile was all that was necessary to get him excused for the rest of the day.

Leaving his car for his siblings, he headed home on foot; he'd get there faster this way anyway. As he reached the front door of the house, his excitement was almost overtaking him. In a few moments he might find the key that could lead him to his angel! He swung open the door, almost pulling it loose from the hinges again, only to find Alice standing in front of him, shaking her head.

"No Edward, it isn't time for that! You cannot force it. She isn't ready for you yet, she hasn't fully decided." Alice looked at her brother solemnly, showing him how her visions were changing as she decided to give him the book and seek her out.

At first, he saw the same visions of them together, she and Alice together, all happy times. But suddenly, all of those visions fell away. They were replaced with ones of his angel looking at him in confusion and fear, backing away from him. "What, what happened?"

"When I decided to let you go after her right now, that is when the visions changed. You don't want that to happen, do you? Decide to wait until I give you the OK, I will show you how the visions will change back, _all_ of them." Alice was firm with him, but had decided it was time to show him the vision she had been hiding.

Knowing what she meant, Edward quickly gave in and decided to let Alice guide him on this journey. His obedience was awarded with the return of the happy visions, and also of the promised additional one. He stood absolutely still as he took in what Alice showed him.

_He and his angel, standing in a field, arm in arm. Their skin sparkled in the bright sunlight, both of them! They turned around and he saw her eyes, a deep, golden ochre, matching his._

"What can this mean? She becomes one of us? I won't allow it! I knew that your 'good vision' would be something like this! She cannot be damned to this life we lead!" Edward was frantic, and all Alice's visions disappeared as he changed his mind every second.

"Stop! Listen to me, you know that nothing is set in stone. There are many different options, but this is the one all of our current choices will lead to. Remember, you alone cannot decide her future. Let this situation unfold as it is fated, I will warn you if that vision comes close to being a reality. It is the least strong of all of them, just flickering in and out occasionally. Mostly I just see the two of you together in the near future, happily spending time together the way most vampire/human couples do!" Alice felt assured that this girl would become one of their family, in the truest sense. She knew that it was the route to true happiness for both Edward and the girl; the fact that she could see the girl as one of them meant that the possibility existed she would choose to do just that. But she also knew that Edward had to come to the realization on his own that it was the right thing to do.

"Okay, I know better than to go against _you_ Alice. I'll never find the book anyway, so I might as well give in to your little scheme." Edward sighed, knowing ever word he spoke was true. Alice was resolute that this was necessary, and she was able to hide things from him for much stupider reasons, like punishment for refusing to go shopping. It had taken him a full year to convince her to give him back his favorite CD; every time he almost found it, she saw it in a vision and moved it. He had to threaten her with a speed governor for her car before she gave it back.

"You know this is for your own good! You saw yourself that she and I are going to be great friends; I am almost as impatient as you are! Trust me, when have I led you wrong when it was really important?" Alice's eyes twinkled, but she was serious enough.

"True enough Alice. I do trust you, it's me I don't trust!" His reluctance to give in still showed on his face and in his tone, but internally he realized that Alice was right. She would never steer him wrong with something so serious. She was his biggest supporter in this endeavor anyway. Esme and Carlisle were also thrilled at the possibility of him finding his soul mate, but apprehensive about how he'd handle her humanity, predominantly the strange and overpowering draw her blood had for him especially.

He wondered what possibilities existed for the two of them to be happy together. He couldn't bear the thought of selfishly making her into a monster, just so he could feel whole for all eternity. Unsure of what he was capable of doing to keep this angel in his life, he succumbed to Alice's plan, knowing she would not lead him astray.

In the meantime, he picked up his own copy of Wuthering Heights and began to read, eager to pass the time.

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A/N: Finally, Alice's "good" vision is revealed! What do you think? I took major liberties with the Edward/Carlisle early years part, and will continue with that in another chapter. Edward's "rebellious years" weren't fully covered in the books, so I am bending them to suit my storyline. Sorry if this goes against your thoughts about them, but they work in the context of this story.

_**Don't forget to vote on my poll about Edward finding Bella! I'm pretty sure how it is going to turn out in the story, but I am going to leave the poll open until this Sunday night (Jan 25**__**th**__**).**_

_**Please, please, please review! I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story. I'm having a bit of writer's block right now on the next part of the story, but I should have another chapter within the next week. I'll probably be updating the "Black Friday Alice Cullen Style" story sometime this weekend as well.**_


	9. Chapter 9: A real man?

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!!**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! Poll's in – almost everyone voted for Edward to find Bella, so you will see how that works out!**_

_**Chapter 9: A real man?**_

**Quick Recap: Bella decided to go to the Homecoming dance with Josh in an effort to have a real life and get over her fantasies about her dream boy. She was having a really good time with him, and then she sprained her ankle and he offered to take her home.**

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BPOV**

"I wonder how long everyone will remember my fall tonight." Bella questioned aloud, trying to predict just how embarrassing school was going to be for the next couple weeks.

"Oh, probably until you trip on something else!" Josh chuckled.

"What?" Bella pulled away from Josh and glared at him, not caring that she wobbled as she tried to balance on her sprained ankle. _What the hell did he mean by that?_

"Bella, I was just kidding! Just trying to lighten the mood, ya know? I'm sure _something_ more scandalous will happen tonight that will take the spotlight away from your little fall by Monday. C'mon, you're going to hurt yourself worse by walking on that foot, let me help you to the car." He had an odd look of impatience on his face, causing Bella to hold off on taking his hand.

"I'm sorry you had to come to the dance with such a klutz. You can go back in, I'm sure I can get a taxi home." She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. On one hand, she felt unworthy of being his date; despite what her friends had said earlier, she still felt he was only with her as some sort of charity work. On the other hand, she was slightly angered by his treatment of her; everyone knew how klutzy she was, but there was no need to rub salt in the wound.

"Gosh Bell; I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I'm just worried about you and I'm not really that good at knowing the right thing to say, obviously. I didn't mean to insult you; please say you'll forgive me!" Josh took her hand in his, and tipped her chin up with his other hand, forcing her to meet his pleading eyes.

Bella smiled shyly and allowed herself to be guided to the car in silence. She didn't trust herself to speak, not sure if anger or thankfulness would be the tone of her speech. She spent the short walk composing herself, trying to give up her anger. _He didn't mean to be patronizing; he's just a silly boy who doesn't know how to talk to girls. He's probably nervous; the girls _did_ say he wanted to go out with me. Maybe he doesn't really mind leaving early. I could ask him if he wants to come over and watch a movie…that way if he stays I'll know for sure it is because he truly wants to spend time with me. _

Bella broke the silence as Josh piloted the Miata back to her house. "Would you like to come over and watch a movie? Just because we left the dance early doesn't mean our date has to end so soon." She smiled sweetly at her date, hoping he wasn't sick of her yet.

Josh grinned back at her. "That is a great idea! I didn't really care about the dance; I just wanted to take you out. I guess I was too nervous to ask you out on a regular date, so I used the dance as a cover. Hm, now you know all my secrets!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell! No one would believe me anyway! You could probably get any girl…Jasmine certainly seemed interested tonight. With her as an option, no one would think you'd prefer to go out with me, much less be nervous about asking me!" Bella decided to put it all out on the table as well. She figured if he was being honest about his feelings, she would too.

"No, you're wrong! Frankly, I don't know who would want to go out with Jasmine. No matter what she looks like, she is still so vapid and shallow on the inside. I'm not the only guy at school who is interested in you, just the first one to make a move! There I go, saying too much again. Now you'll know _I'm_ not _your_ only option." He looked at her with apprehension, as if he expected her to rescind her movie offer.

Bella was shocked by his confession. It was all she could do to whisper "I don't want another option, I just want you." _He really likes me! How can I be so lucky? He is a real guy, not a fantasy, here whenever I need him and wanting to be with me as much as I want to be with him! I'm so glad I decided to go out with him; I'm not going to think about my dreams ever again!_

"Oh, we're here. Stay put and I'll help you out of the car and into the house." Josh had pulled into the driveway and was on his way around to Bella's side of the car by the time she regained her composure.. He opened her door and took her arm to help her out of the car. She leaned against him as they navigated the front walk and steps, into the house.

Once they were safely in the house, Josh carried Bella and laid her on the sofa. "Really, I can manage just fine on my own now. I hobble around my own house all the time – you know how often I hurt myself." She laughed through her protests, yet allowed him to settle her comfortably on the sofa.

"Ah, but you don't usually have me here to take care of you! Let me go get you some more ice, which way is the kitchen?" Josh looked into her eyes deeply, his concern for her well-being written across his face.

Bella pointed to the direction of the kitchen, yet again rendered speechless by Josh's actions and words. She soon gathered her feelings and got up, using one of Phil's bats that she found under the sofa as a makeshift crutch. She walked over to the massive DVD cabinet and looked for something the two of them could watch. Phil had hurt his knee over the summer and was on bed rest for 3 weeks. He had survived by watching every movie ever made, or at least that's what it seemed to Bella. She stood staring at all the movies, trying to figure out what might be appropriate. "What kind of movie do you want to watch? My step-dad has pretty much anything you can imagine…he's kind of a movie buff. _Pirates of the Caribbean? James Bond? Veggie Tales?_ Ha ha, just kidding about that last one. Don't even ask me why we have it. He seems to have every movie, except for _Dracula_, so we'll have to watch that another time. Anything sound good?"

She waited nervously, having no idea what his taste in movies was. She was idly flipping the boxed set of _Pride and Prejudice_ in her hands when Josh came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "What is that one? I don't think I've ever seen it before. Do you want to watch it?"

"Uh, this is _Pride and Prejudice_, you know, like the Jane Austen novel? It is really long, and kind of a chick flick. Long on the romance and short on the action." She started scanning the endless shelves for something else, certain he couldn't possibly like this.

"Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about. That Darcy guy, right? I think we're supposed to be reading that in English class next semester, might as well get a head start, right? And don't worry about long, my parents don't care what time I get home tonight." Josh shrugged and walked over to the couch with Bella's ice. "Put it in and let's get started!"

"O-okay then. Would you like a drink or something?" Bella didn't know how she was going to manage getting back from the kitchen with a drink without spilling it all over, but she was determined to be the proper hostess. Josh sprang up at her question.

"Don't even think about it! What would you like, I'll go fix us some drinks and a snack. Just get the movie started and then you relax and put your feet up." He walked into the kitchen then and Bella could hear the clink of glasses.

_He is really such a sweetheart. So what if he watches movies instead of reading books? Phil does the same thing and look what a great guy he is. Thank goodness I just went shopping so we have some proper snacks._ "There are some sodas in the fridge if you want, I'd just like some seltzer water if there is any. And there are chips in the cabinet on the left, just pick whichever you want – I like them all." She got the movie going and had the first scene cued up.

Josh walked back in with a tray of drinks and snacks. He handed Bella her seltzer and then settled in beside her, putting the rest of the snacks on the coffee table. "Let's get this show on the road! Start her up!"

Bella started the movie and leaned back, taking a sip of her water. "Was this seltzer in the fridge? It tastes kind of funny." She frown a little as she sipped. It wasn't a bad taste, just different than what she was expecting.

"Yeah, I noticed the bottle was already opened and wasn't as fizzy as I expected. I couldn't find any unopened anywhere in the kitchen. Do you want something else?"

"No, this is fine. There isn't anymore and this doesn't taste bad, just different. Thanks though." She slowly sipped the water as the movie progressed. Mainly, they watched in silence but sometimes Josh would offer a comment.

"That Jane is pretty, but I think Elizabeth is way hotter. I prefer brunettes, you know."

He winked at Bella, causing a blush to spread across her cheeks. She was starting to feel really warm and slightly sleepy. _Probably the painkillers kicking in._ "I'm glad. I always thought she was the prettiest myself. Although that is probably because it is a movie and she is the main character. I don't know why, but I feel a little tired. I don't want to go to sleep though, the best part is coming up soon!"

"It definitely is. Why don't you lean over here on me and I will try and keep you awake." Josh took his arm and threw it around Bella's shoulder, holding her close. He had to be able to hear her heart pulsing faster and faster the closer he held her. "How is your ankle doing? I'm so sorry, I didn't think earlier. Did you want some aspirin or something for the pain?" He rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"It doesn't really hurt anymore. I already took something for the pain, must have been when the girls were with me and I was waiting for you to get back with the ice." _I don't remember taking anything, but Melanie always knows where I keep my ibuprofen for emergencies and she probably gave it to me. I was so confused, I probably didn't even notice. I definitely feel like I took something, I actually stating to feel a bit woozy. Good think Josh is holding me up…mmm, he feels nice and strong…not at all like a dream._

Bella leaned into Josh a little more, resting her head against his shoulder. "This is nice Josh, I'm glad you stayed."

"Me too Bell, me too. You smell wonderful, I love your perfume." It sounded a little like Josh was slurring his words, but then Bella herself was a little dizzy from the combination of Josh's proximity and the painkillers.

"Thanks, it's just my strawberry shampoo. Nothing fancy like most girls." Bella mumbled her response, embarrassed yet again as he showed his preference for her.

Carefully, he turned toward her, lifting her face up to look at his. Desire sparkled in his eyes as Bella quickly took in a breath. He leaned in, closing the gap between their lips. Bella was frozen, unsure of herself in the moment. Suddenly, his warm lips met hers in a cautious caress. After a short moment, she returned the pressure, and they kissed sweetly. Just as suddenly, Josh pulled back and smiled at Bella, his eyes still dancing with desire.

"Is that OK with you? I felt like it was the right moment." His eyes took in her whole body hungrily, the question in his words not mirrored in his eyes or voice.

Bella shook her head, trying to wake herself from the daze she was in. "Yes, I felt that too. It was perfectly wonderful." She graced him with a brilliant smile and he leaned in again. This time his kiss was slightly more aggressive, a more urgent need coming through from him as his hands roamed her body. Bella stiffened as she felt him fiddling with the straps to her dress.

She pulled away, moving as far away on the sofa as possible. "Um, Josh, I think that is a little bit too much for me right now. You're making me uncomfortable."

As an answer, Josh stood up, his desire apparent on his face and on his body. He leaned over her and she finally registered the faint smell of alcohol on his breath. "You're uncomfortable? You're uncomfortable? How do you think I feel? You're sitting right next to me acting so coy, driving me insane. Just give up the pretense…you and I know exactly what is going on here. Let's get down to business and we'll both be feeling goooood." He massaged her breast as he spoke, trying to emphasize his point.

Bella shoved his hand out of the way, although he didn't give up easily. He held onto her dress, breaking her strap when she finally got his hand away. Luckily, her dress didn't fall down and make her even more vulnerable. "I-I-I don't know what you mean? I just wanted to have a normal date. I wasn't trying to trick you or something? What are you talking about?"

"You think you are hot stuff, strutting around school with that hot body and not giving any guy the time of day. We all know you are secretly a tramp, doing it all the time with college guys or something. I'm just trying to get in on that action. Your 'desperate virgin' routine isn't going to work anymore. I've got you all figured out."

Bella's eyes flew wide open when she grasped his meaning. Still struggling to get out of the haze her thoughts were in, she noticed that something had fallen out of Josh's pocket when he stood up. It was a bottle of generic sleeping pills. Suddenly, things became even clearer to her. "Did you put something in my drink? What the hell is going on here? Whatever you're thinking is **so** not happening. Please, just get the hell out of my house." She tried to stand up to put more meaning behind her words.

Josh pushed her back down, pinning her to the sofa. He kissed her roughly, this time not caring that she was resisting him with all her might. She was trying to figure out a way to get out from under him when she remembered her purse was still on the sofa next to her. She fumbled around in it as he continued to assault her mouth with his and her body with his clumsy hands. He must have thought her motion meant she was giving in, so that made him bolder. He released his grip on her mouth and was attempting to move down to her chest when she made her move. She shoved him away with all her force and held her breath as she sprayed him in the face with pepper spray Phil had made her keep in her purse.

"You bitch! I'm getting the hell outta here. You're not worth it. Jasmine's hotter anyway, and she never gives me a hard time. Good luck with the low profile at school once this gets out. You DON'T say no to Josh Turner and get away with it!" His posture was full of rage as he stumbled out the front door, probably half blind from the pepper spray. Bella had been unable to get much out of the can since she was afraid she'd incapacitate herself in the process and couldn't allow that to happen. It had been enough though, since it got him out of the house. As soon as she heard his car squeal down the street, she started to cry.

After about an hour, Bella was finally able to stop sobbing enough to clean up the mess around her. She threw out the sleeping pills and meticulously cleaned all the dishes by hand. She heard the sounds of Elizabeth Bennett falling to pieces after receiving the news about Lydia running away with Wickham and realized the movie was still playing. She smiled slightly as she realized she wasn't the only one who had ever gone through something terrible. Sadly, many girls went through much, much worse. She shuddered to think what would have happened if she hadn't had the pepper spray. Phil's bat was also lying on the floor next to her, but she wasn't sure she'd have even been able to reach it once Josh really got into action; he was so much stronger than her.

She shook herself, trying to think about anything else. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about his threats as he left; now that she was safe physically, all she thought about was what he could do to her mentally at school. She didn't want to call her mom or any of her friends right then…it was going to be bad enough when she had to tell them later. And she did have to tell them something; everyone was going to wonder why she couldn't bear to be in the same room as Josh anymore. She didn't need them worrying about her anymore than they already did, so she had to think of some trivial disagreement they could have had. His preference of movies over books could easily take the blame in her story. Hopefully they'd believe her and just let it go…although if he followed through with his threats, there was no telling what would come out.

Bella curled up on the couch with her favorite quilt and tried to quiet her thoughts by paying attention to the movie still playing. Just as Mr. Darcy was proposing to Elizabeth for the second time, she drifted off to sleep and into a dream.

She found herself walking down a poorly lit sidewalk in an unknown town. She was still wearing her dress from the dance, and the ripped side threatened to fall down as she walked. Standard for these dreams, she felt the pull of **him** leading her down the road she was currently walking. As she passed an alley, she stopped breathing when she saw a tall, muscular young man with black hair looking right at her. Although he was dressed very strangely, he resembled Josh enough that it terrified her. Mentally, she was so exhausted that she succumbed to the fear and fainted to the ground.

As she hit the sidewalk, she again became aware of her surroundings. The man was walking quickly toward her, but he had an evil look on his face. He grinned wickedly and cackled to himself as the distance between them closed rapidly. Frozen to the ground in fear, Bella shivered in the cold night air. She knew she wasn't lucky enough to get away this time; Josh was having his revenge in her dreams. A single tear rolled down her face, but she wiped it away quickly; she wasn't going to give this strange man the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

He was about 5 feet away from her, his leer taking in her ripped dress and short skirt. "Oh baby, you look like you're ready for me already! Come to daddy!"

So quickly she barely registered it, a force knocked her would be attacker out of his path and down onto his back. She knew it was **him**; her heart swelled with the joy of their reunion, no matter the circumstances. She was no longer going to deny their inexplicable connection; they were meant to be together and somehow they would be. She was through trying to live a normal life…look where that got her! Her decision made, she prepared herself to vocalize her thoughts. Her heart stopped as she looked up to see his brilliant crimson eyes. "You've saved me yet again. I know you say you're a danger to me, but I'm happiest in your presence. Thank you, for you saved me tonight from more than you will ever know." Violent shivers took over her body, not allowing her to say any more.

Her savior looked startled when she began to speak to him, but quickly composed himself. His gaze softened, and then tightened when he took in her ripped dress and shivers. He quickly took off his jacket and lightly tossed it to her; she eagerly slipped her arms in, basking in his heavenly scent. He looked at her attacker and then back at her, obviously torn in what he should do. She waved her hand at him; motioning for him to handle the young man any way he thought was proper.

"You don't want to see this. I'll be back to take care of you." He slung the man over his shoulder and took off down the alley, faster than Bella thought was possible. She huddled into his jacket, trying to get warm. If anything, the jacket was colder than the wind that was swirling around her; but the memories its scent provoked easily kept her warm. She was smiling contentedly when she saw him walking back up the alley toward her, wiping a red liquid from his mouth. _What could that be? Maybe this is the key to understanding what he is?_ She stared at him while he did this, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed her watching him. He started retreating, angrily shaking his head. "I'm a monster! I cannot let you see me like this!"

"I don't care! It does not matter to me! Come back to me!" She called after him, not yet having the strength to get to her feet.

He halted as she spoke, turning around again to face her. "You don't care? You don't even know what I am!" He looked at her with a mix adoration and confusion; he could not deny the depth of his feelings toward her, but could not imagine a way for them to be together. "How can you want me?"

"You are my other half. You are my destiny." Her words were accompanied with a luminous smile, coercing him into walking slowly toward her again. He was still 20 feet away when she woke up, still wearing the jacket he had given her.

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Author's Note: This chapter is a little short, but it was really hard to write, so I really appreciate all feedback (good and bad) on it! Next up is Edward and his version of this visit…and some important decisions!!**_

_**Also, check out my other Twilight stories: "Black Friday – Alice Cullen Style!" is a funny story, set post-Breaking Dawn with canon pairings. Just something fun to chuckle at! And my third story "Twilighted Pets" is also up; it is a really, really silly story around the idea of what would happen if my pets were Twilight characters (really silly, but some great funny Emmett stuff!).**_


	10. Chapter 10: Confusion and clarity

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!!**_

_**Author's Note: Ugh, sorry for taking so long to update, but I think I'm not going to be able to get any faster than a chapter a week now. Lots of stuff going on…not much time for writing unfortunately. And so many of you guys (and others) have such fabulous stories that I have to carve out time to read them too! If you want something good to read, just check out my fav stories and authors…lots of good stuff there to hold you over until my next update! **_

_**Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! This chapter is a continuation of the last one; as much as I toyed with the idea of leaving y'all hanging for another chapter, I couldn't do that to Bella! Much more of the rest of the story is around Bella's discoveries, so the next couple of chapters will mainly be from her point of view.**_

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Chapter 10: Confusion and clarity**_

**Where we left off…**

"_You are my other half. You are my destiny." Her words were accompanied with a luminous smile, coercing him into walking slowly toward her again. He was still 20 feet away when she woke up, still wearing the jacket he had given her._

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BPOV**

Bella woke with a start and rolled off the couch, landing gently on the quilt that had fallen to the ground during her restless slumber. _I can't even sleep without falling! What a klutz I am._ She attempted to get up, but put too much weight on her ankle and dropped back to the ground, gasping in pain. The memories from the previous evening came back in waves, flashing in her mind in quick bursts of horror.

_She and Josh dancing and laughing._

_Jasmine flirting with Josh right in front of her._

_Her confusion about why people thought she fainted when she sprained her ankle._

_Josh sweetly taking her home and taking care of her._

_Josh flying into a rage when her simple kiss wasn't enough to satisfy his primal urges._

_The sound of the fragile strands of silk shredding in his callous grasp when she forcibly removed his hand from her body._

_Fear, welling up inside her as she contemplated the damage Josh would do to her if she couldn't escape his clutches. _

_The insane threats Josh spewed as he retreated from her defensive moves; making it clear he had every intention of making her life as miserable as possible._

Those threats echoed louder in her mind now; she was unable to banish the thoughts of his possible retaliation from her exhausted mind. She laughed at her previous fears over embarrassment from her fall during the dance; they paled in comparison to the misery that awaited her Monday morning. Bella shivered reflexively as her thoughts continued to alternate between the horrific events that had just passed and the ones that had yet to occur.

She huddled deeper into the cavernous jacket she was wearing, breathing in the calming scent it held. After a few moments, she was able to calm her ragged gasps into deep breaths and quell the tears that threatened to spill out of her red rimmed eyes yet again this morning. Suddenly, she pulled in a sharp breath and sat up straight, scanning all around her. She looked down and took in her quilt, the torn dress, her throbbing sprained ankle, the bits gravel embedded in her knee and the strange jacket she was wearing. The first three things she distinctly remembered happening the night before, but the last two could only be explained by what happened in her dream. _What the hell? Josh must have given me something besides sleeping pills._

Bella continued to sit on the floor, unsure exactly what her mental state was and therefore unwilling to try to move around. Under normal circumstances that could be dangerous; right now, she'd simply be a walking disaster. She took a deep breath, trying to relax and quiet her mind yet again. As she was still shrouded in the jacket, the undeniable and intoxicating scent that she has come to know as **his** assaulted her senses. _I _know_ this is real; there is no other explanation for this! I have never smelled this delicious scent anywhere but with __**him**__; it cannot be my imagination._

Bella quickly indexed through the possible rationalizations in her mind, finding none suitable except for the most unlikely. Last night she had thoroughly examined the bottle of pills Josh had dropped…they really were just over the counter sleeping pills. It was a brand new container and was only missing one; she could normally handle that and be fine the next day, so she ruled out a drug induced mania. She grabbed her purse from the couch and flipped through the pictures on her camera; sure enough, Josh had been wearing a suit, complete with a jacket, all evening. She'd never seen him wear a jacket like this either. Phil was much too muscular to feel comfortable in a jacket this size; although it was definitely a men's style and the sleeves were long, they weren't as roomy as Phil's jackets felt when she had borrowed one of them in the past. The most obvious piece of evidence was the style of the jacket; Bella certainly wasn't a fashion maven, but she knew that a jacket like this was definitely from more than a couple decades in the past.

She leaned down, wiping the residue from her fall on the sidewalk from her knees, and inhaled deeply to drink in more of his scent. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander through her various memories of him. She mindlessly placed her hand in the pocket of the jacket, stunned to find a piece of paper. She opened up what appeared to be a letter and read it slowly, relishing every word that brought her closer to him.

_Dearest Edward,_

_Carlisle and I both miss you greatly. We understand your reasons behind your decision and acknowledge that it is your choice alone how you live your life; you didn't ask to be changed into this "monster" you insist our kind is. We hope that in time you will find a way to come back to us, but you must let your conscience guide you and not be swayed by guilt. Please consider just dropping by for a simple visit; we miss our son._

_With love always,_

_Esme_

"Edward." Bella said the name out loud, rolling it around in her mind trying to see if it fit. "Yes, Edward is definitely his name!" She was excited to finally have a name for her dream boy. With every moment that passed, she was more certain that everything she had experienced with Edward was absolutely real. She turned her attention once again to the letter, carefully scrutinizing this new piece of evidence.

It was wrinkled and faded, with several small tears around the edges; it appeared that Edward had been carrying it in his pocket for some time. The writing was a small, feminine script; Bella had never seen such beautiful writing in her life. The letter had definitely been written to her savior from last night…he had used the same word to describe himself: _monster_. Edward must have read it many times, probably trying to decide on the right course of action.

She knew she could never believe him capable of doing anything monstrous; at the same time, she couldn't deny that he had taken care of her assailant with a swiftness and vigor that she couldn't quite comprehend. Regardless, she knew the bond of love they shared was unbreakable and it was unfathomable that she could connect in such a way to someone who was evil. It was obvious that whoever wrote the letter also shared her unwavering trust in his true nature. _He always tries to warn me he is dangerous, I think he must just not believe enough in himself to see his true virtue like his parents and I do. _

As she allowed herself to believe that somehow she had physically been in his presence last night, other answers began to slowly click into place. Why she was always wearing the same clothes she slept in during the "dreams." Why she couldn't find her favorite red hair ribbon anywhere. Why she always felt as if she was actually in the places they met, rather than just dreaming about them. Why her clothes were wet when her "dreams" took place in the rain. _I must be physically traveling to these different times and places and then returning to my present while I am sleeping!_ Surely, it was an absurd idea, but it was the only thing that could explain every bit of evidence Bella had.

_How the hell is this happening? I'm time traveling? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of, but I have to believe it. Nothing else makes sense. It is too real; Edward truly is _my other half_. It is impossible for him to only exist in my dreams. I'd sooner believe myself capable of flying to the moon than believe that he is not walking the Earth right now, waiting for me._ Bella's whole world shifted as she fixed her mind on the fact that he was absolutely real, as was the love she felt for him. She felt slightly off balance and incomplete, knowing he was out there but not being in his presence. But at the same time, a strange calmness washed over her with the knowledge that her soul mate was out there, somewhere, and he belonged to her. For she had never experienced anything like these visits before; she was certain that only their incredible bond made it possible. It was as if a thick, unbreakable cord was tethered between them and held them to each other no matter when or where they were. She could almost feel the pull of him, just like in the visits; but it was too indistinct for her to act on it. She thought back to the timing of her visits and what they meant to her. Often they came at critical points in her life, helping sway her decisions one way or another. The path she had traveled down in her life over the past 8 months had definitely been dictated somewhat by the occurrences of her visits. If she hadn't had them at all, she would never have gone to the stupid dance in the first place._ I could have lived without that experience. And I really could live without what's going to happen in the next few days._

Well, to be a little more precise, if she hadn't thought they were "just dreams" she wouldn't have gone to the dance. She had fought against her feelings for so long, trying to prove to herself that Edward wasn't real and that she needed to move on in her real life. But deep down, her soul carried on in faith, continually sending her messages until she could no longer deny his existence as her destiny. It seemed to her that the ordeal she went through the previous night was necessary to bring to light that truth of the love she shared with Edward. _And that is worth any pain I endure at Josh's hands._

As she thought about what she was willing to go through for Edward, it occurred to her that perhaps her visits were equally pivotal in his life as they sometimes were in hers. Perhaps her presence had changed the direction he was leading his life, as her various reactions to him did for her. She shuddered at the memory of the dark figures she had encountered the one time she had been unable to reach him. It was torturous to her to imagine him in any pain. She shook the thought from her mind; she had no way of knowing the outcome, but she did know that he still existed somewhere in her world. The lightness she felt whenever she saw him had overcome her once she realized their true connection and it was still there; it was _this_ feeling that always guided her to the safety of his presence. She knew now to trust these instincts and let them lead her to her destiny, in whichever path her life took.

Bella had learned from her experiences with the cheese and the resulting nightmare that provoking these visits was dangerous territory. As much as she longed to see him, even just a glimpse, she feared that something she did would inadvertently hurt Edward, so she stuck with her original plan of not trying to incite a visit. _But that doesn't mean I can't tell him where I am. _ She thought about the jacket, as well as her missing red ribbon, very carefully. It seemed that whatever was in her physical possession when she came back would continue to be with her, but if it wasn't touching her, it would stay there. Well, she assumed it would stay there; she only knew it didn't come back with her.

_Wait, why can't I just take him back with me?_ Bella's heart raced as she contemplated having Edward with her permanently. Free to talk to him and just linger in his presence whenever she wanted. Another chance to hold him in her arms and lose herself in his heady scent. Starting her real life with her soul mate at her side, leaving the pain of this empty suburban life behind. But just as quickly, she thought better of the plan, realizing she couldn't begin to comprehend all the things that could go wrong. _What if he gets hurt or gets stuck somewhere in between? What about his family? What would I do with him once he gets here?_ She had only just figured out sort of what was going on with herself; it was much too risky to try and expand this power to include another person, much less someone as precious as him.

She cast her eyes around the living room for inspiration; they settled on her school bag sitting on the steps, with a couple of books spilling out of the top. Excited to put this new plan into action immediately, Bella gingerly stood up, careful to avoid hurting her ankle again. She walked over to her bag and grabbed the first book on top. It was her copy of Wuthering Heights, with random papers stuck in it as bookmarks throughout the book; each marked one of her favorite passages, so she could easily skip to them whenever she wanted.

She grabbed her purse and the book, carrying them upstairs and depositing them on her desk before attempting to struggle out of her destroyed dress. She wasn't letting the book out of her sight so she would always be prepared to take it with her on her next visit. After her shower, she intended on writing a quick note to Edward to tell him where she was and how to get to her. She pulled her phone out of her purse, noting the 6 missed calls and 20 new texts she had received overnight. In the car with Josh on the way home she'd texted Renee to let her know she was headed home from the dance to go to bed; her mother wouldn't expect to hear from her again until later that afternoon. The rest of the calls and texts were from her friends, and she was definitely not in the mood to deal with all of that drama at that point.

Bella hugged the jacket around her one more time, trying to stay in the protective bubble of calmness it seemed to provide her. Reluctantly, she began to undress and then quickly jumped in the shower. Despite the happy revelations it resulted in, she was eager to scrub away the horror of the events the night before. She wanted no reminders left in her life of her experiences with Josh. As the scalding water beat on her scalp, she inhaled the soothing smell of her favorite strawberry shampoo and daydreamed about a future with Edward.

Slowly, Bella's thoughts wandered back to the letter as she wondered what he was doing during this time of his life that had distanced him from his parents. _Parents? Is that who this letter is from? Certainly they seem to have a parental concern for him and call him son, but he must be adopted or something to call them by their first names. Then again, it is also pretty clear that he is something other than human, so perhaps that is the explanation for the relationship. This Esme indicates that she and Carlisle are also of the same kind._

She thought again about how he had dealt with her attacker, trying to determine what he was. After throwing him to the ground away from her, he had carried the large man effortlessly and with unbelievable speed and agility to the other end of the alley. She had heard a broken scream followed by a sharp snap and almost instantly he had been returning to her. And then there was the question of what was dripping from his mouth…

_**(A/N: aren't you glad I didn't just end it here??? I was tempted…LOL!)**_

Instantly, she cut the shower off and grabbed a towel, drying off as fast as she could. She squeezed as much water out of her hair as possible, not even sparing 30 seconds to run a comb through it before she threw it into a messy ponytail. She grabbed the closest clothes she could find, the sweats she had been wearing the day before and threw them on, not caring what she looked like. Unwilling to part with it for longer than necessary, she shoved her arms into the long sleeves of Edward's jacket and completed her "outfit." She grabbed the book and her phone and tossed them into her purse before making her way down the stairs as fast as her injured ankle would allow her. Pausing only long enough to grab a ball cap from the closet downstairs to hide her messy hair, Bella flew out the front door and locked it behind her. She strode purposefully down the street, flipping her phone open and hitting a speed dial all in one motion.

"Hey Tiffany, are you at the store yet?" Bella's question came out in short bursts; between her exertion and excitement, she was faintly winded.

"Uh, not quite yet. I'm still at the diner picking up my sticky bun. Why, you aren't scheduled to work today, remember?" Tiffany sounded confused, wondering if somehow Bella thought she had to work but couldn't make it. _She's probably exhausted after the dance, and I heard there was supposed to be a killer after-party at one of her friend's houses. That's why I insisted she take the day off, she must have just forgotten._

"Oh, no Tiff, I remembered that you gave me the day off. It's just that I sort of have a book emergency! I'm still only a few blocks from my house, so I'll just see you when we both get there. Bye!" Bella wasn't sure exactly what she was going to tell Tiffany about the situation, so she cut their phone conversation short. Plus, it was difficult enough for her to walk without tripping; add in paying attention to what she was saying and an already sprained ankle and she was unlikely to make it the 10 blocks to The Pen and Ink.

Tiffany stood at the diner counter, staring at the phone in her hand. "Can I get 5 more of those and some extra napkins?" This was definitely not a one sticky bun day! Bella was more of a little sister to her than anything, so she knew that girl inside and out. A book emergency could mean a whole lot of things with her; honestly, Tiff often thought Bella loved books more than she did! However, over the last couple months she felt as though Bella had been hiding something, but she was unable to tell what it was related to. At first she had thought she was unhappy with her mother's relationship with Phil, but she always genuinely lit up whenever she talked about the couple, so Tiff had ruled that out as the problem. The tone of Bella's voice on the phone made her think it was finally time for an explanation. She hurriedly paid the cashier and made her way around the corner to unlock the store a few minutes before a disheveled Bella strode through the door.

"Mmm…those smell delicious!" Despite her desire to get started on her quest immediately, Bella's stomach rumbled as the delicious smell of the sticky buns wafted through the air. Tiffany waved the lid a couple times, trying to send the smell over to Bella and tempt her to sit down and eat one. She was determined to get answers to the questions she'd been wanting to ask all summer.

"Sit down and dig in girl! Want a cup of coffee?" Tiff thrust a cup into Bella's hand and pulled her down onto the stool next to her. "Let's chat for a minute about this book emergency of yours."

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Author's Note: Please review! I really want to know what you think of the story/chapter (good or bad!). Thanks - MK!**_

_**Virtual cookies for anyone who guesses the "walking disaster" reference! And I know I made it almost sound like they are imprints, but I always got the feeling from the way Carlisle describes the way vampires feel about their mates that it was pretty much the same kind of bond for them. One guess as to which book Bella is looking for! Sorry this chapter is kind of short, but it had been a while since I updated so I want to get y'all something. I hope to have the next chapter up later tonight if possible!**_

_**Also, check out my other Twilight stories: "Black Friday – Alice Cullen Style!" is a funny story, set post-Breaking Dawn with canon pairings. Just something fun to chuckle at! And my third story "Twilighted Pets" is also up; it is a really, really silly story around the idea of what would happen if my pets were Twilight characters (really silly, but some great funny Emmett stuff!).**_


	11. Chapter 11: Finally, some answers

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!!**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! You guys are the best!! This chapter is a continuation of the last one; I need to get a few more details with Bella out of the way before I bring back Edward's story. Fueled by some lovely wine and a fabulous bagel from Panera..may I present the next chapter:**_

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Chapter 11: Finally, some answers**_

**Where we left off…Bella met Tiffany at the bookstore with a "book emergency." They were just sitting down to sticky buns and coffee and Tiffany was about to grill Bella about what was going on with her.**

**BPOV**

"Well, remember that day over the summer when you made me reshelve all the books that customers had left out randomly in the store? There was that book about Indian legends that I never found the place for. I was wondering if you still had it." Bella chewed on her bottom lip nervously, still unsure how much she was willing to divulge.

Tiffany pondered her course of action for a moment. She reached down beneath the counter and rested her hand on the book in question. She had never gotten around to replacing it either; it wasn't that popular a book, so no one missed it. Quickly, she withdrew her empty hand and placed it on Bella's arm. "Yes, I know which book you are talking about and I know exactly where it is. But you are not getting it until you tell me exactly what is going on young lady! I know something is up with you, so you better be honest with me or you will never get the book." She had decided to use it as leverage to try and see what was going on in Bella's life. It hadn't seemed that worrisome in the past, but something about the way she looked this morning had Tiffany rather concerned.

Bella quickly realized that Tiffany was not going to let her out of this very easily. She weighed her options carefully. _It would be nice to have someone to really talk to about this. Tiff will probably be the one person who might actually believe me. And I'm sure I'll need an objective person to talk to about Josh, when he makes good on his threats. I might as well get this over with. At least it will be practice for what I need to tell Renee and the girls._

Bella took a deep breath and began to tell her story. She started with the first dream and detailed every meeting leading up to last night. Then she told Tiffany about the events of the previous night, not looking up until she finished the entire story of what led her to the bookstore that morning. When she got to the letter part, she pulled it out of her pocket to show to Tiffany. When she was done, she took another deep breath and a sip of coffee; then she steeled herself for whatever Tiffany's reaction was going to be and looked up to meet her eyes.

Bella wasn't sure how Tiffany would react, but the look of pure happiness in her eyes was definitely unexpected. "Did you hear everything I just told you? Why on earth do you look so happy?" Bella broke off, thoroughly confused; her thoughts were wandering down dangerous paths, including the possibility that Tiffany was somehow involved in the whole Josh fiasco and this was part of his evil plan of total humiliation and devastation. She sucked in a ragged breath and was on the verge of another crying jag when Tiffany broke the silence.

"My dear Bella, you have found the love of your life. And that love seems to deny intervention by time, death and humanity as it exists as an iron clad bond between you and this Edward. Despite the awful things you have gone through, how could I not be ecstatic at this news? You've heard me speak of Zach enough to know that I understand the rareness of a love like that. It is the one thing I have hoped most fervently for you to experience. Zach and I only had 2 years together before he was taken from me, but they were the best years of my life; it appears that nothing can keep you and Edward apart, so I look past the unhappiness that is going on now knowing that you will experience happiness that you can't even imagine." As she was speaking, she walked around the counter and swept Bella up in a bear hug. "Wow, what is that fantastic smell?"

"Mmf maket." Bella struggled to pull herself away from the ferocious hug Tiffany had wrapped her in. "I mean, the jacket! That's Edward's scent, isn't it wonderful?" She snuggled deeper into the jacket and took a long, deep breath; she was visibly calmer as she slowly released the air from her lungs.

"Yes, it is thoroughly intoxicating! I could definitely enjoy a life surrounded by a man who smelled like that all the time! Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't give up a moment with my Zach, but damn, I'd think twice about this guy!" Tiffany laughed, happy to see Bella in a better mood. "Okay, now that you are smiling, let's keep talking about Edward. But we will get back to Josh before we are done…I'm just warning you."

"Warning received; I'd rather talk with you about that anyway before I have to try to tell Renee." Bella grimaced as she spoke about the Josh situation, but she couldn't contain her smile as she segued to Edward. "So, you really don't think I'm crazy? I've given up on trying to pretend it isn't real, but I didn't expect anyone else to believe me!"

"I can tell by the way you spoke about him; pure, unadulterated love came shining through with every word. There is no questioning the connection that the two of you have. No matter what you did, he always found you; or rather, you always found him. It is only a matter of time before you find each other forever; it is obviously your destiny."

"Forever, yeah, I think I could deal with that. It feels as though it must be fate…I've noticed that the visits usually happen at particularly critical points in my life. And whenever I tried to force myself to live in 'reality' I'd always have a dream; reminding me just what I was trying to ignore and how much I couldn't ignore it no matter how hard I tried." Although she was absolutely sure everything she was experiencing was real and that she was actually in Edward's presence during these visits, Bella wasn't sure what how to refer to them. She tried to use "visit," since that seemed to encompass a little more reality. However, she'd been referring to them as dreams for so long, she'd slip occasionally and still call them that. No matter what she called them, they were the most real part of her life. "I don't feel _whole_ without him; I never noticed how true that was until I finally acknowledged that our love _was_ real. The minute I did, I felt like an entirely new person; a hole in my heart that I never knew existed _filled_, finally making me complete."

Bella stood up and started pacing around the store, while Tiff continued to sit by the counter and quietly sip her coffee. The mood in the room shifted slightly as she changed the direction of the conversation around to a more challenging topic. "But what do you think he is? I mean, he obviously isn't human. His eyes change color – and to colors that are never seen on humans! Our meetings have taken place at obviously very different times than now." Bella counted off her reasons one finger at a time, trying to force Tiffany to see the utterly bizarre situation for what it really was. "The night when we danced, I know that wasn't a theme party; it was actually a send off party for troops going to fight in the first World War! And last night, both he and my attacker were dressed in a way I've never seen except in pictures and old movies; I mean, look at this jacket! The way he handled that guy who tried to attack me was unbelievable! He _does_ keep implying he's dangerous; there is obviously a very bizarre explanation. I just wish something made sense in all this!"

Bella had worked herself up into a bit of a frenzy and the weight of all that had transpired in the last 24 hours came crashing down on her. She dropped her coffee cup and flopped down into one of the overstuffed armchairs that were scattered around the shop for customers. She leaned back in the chair, her eyes wide and searching, her breathing ragged. She was beyond crying, and if she had any coherent thoughts on the matter she would have doubted she had any tears left to shed. She sat as still as a statue, staring into space, gripping the chair arms as if it was all that was keeping her from being ripped from the Earth into the vortex of space.

Tiffany, long expecting Bella to break down, took everything in stride. She calmly stood up and cleaned up the spilled coffee, watching Bella briefly to make sure she wasn't hyperventilating. Once that was taken care of, she filled a small cup with very cold water and walked over to Bella's chair. She knelt down so that she was level with Bella and stroked her hair, trying to soothe her back into reality. "Bella, honey, everything is going to be fine. We'll figure it all out. Focus on the good stuff; forget everything but your love right now. You are not alone now, I am going to help you whether you want me to or not!"

Bella blinked a few times and turned to look at her friend. "O-o-o-o-k-k-k-k-a-a-a-a.." was all she got out before Tiffany started shaking her head and patting Bella's hand.

"Relax sweetie. We've got all the time in the world; why don't you try sipping this water and try to calm your breathing a little. I'm going to get that book you wanted and we can start flipping through it and see if anything jumps out at us that explains your Edward." She handed Bella the cup of water, who obediently raised it to her mouth and took a small, reluctant sip.

Tiffany wandered over to the counter and brought out the Indian legends book and a pad of paper. She wrote a note, explaining that due to a private party the book store was closed for the day; she would have said a family emergency, but people might have noticed the lights on and people inside and been a little obnoxious about trying to get in. Saturday's were usually her busiest days; she couldn't care less about closing the store, but she didn't want Bella's attention to be brought to that fact since she'd feel terribly guilty over it. Once she was back to her old self, Tiff knew she'd be able to make her see that it wasn't a big deal to close the store that day. She glanced over at Bella, please by what she saw; Bella had finished the water, what little color she normally had restored to her face, and her breathing was steady and even. She had no doubt that there was something supernatural going on here; it certainly didn't freak _her_ out, but Bella might need a little more strength before she found out the truth about her boyfriend. Tiffany's fascination with the occult and supernatural were the only reason that book was even in the store; she had a small section devoted to alien theories and Native American legends that drew a surprisingly large number of people to the store. This particular book was specific to one particular area of Washington state, so it wasn't as popular as the more diverse books.

Tiffany grabbed the book, notepad and pen from the counter and pulled a stool up next to Bella's chair. "Let's get this fact finding mission started! Do you want to look through the book or take notes?" Tiffany figured the sooner she got Bella involved in actually doing something, the sooner the shock would wear off.

"I guess I'll look through the book, in case there are pictures or descriptions that jog my memory about things I might have forgotten to tell you. Hand it over." Once the book was in her hands, she started to look at it eagerly and all signs of shock slowly disappeared. "Hm, so far I see things about wolves and people shape shifting, but that doesn't seem to fit. Here's a section about enemies, but that doesn't seem like it would be right, so I'll just jump to the next one. Okay, this chapter is about a thunderbird; there was a bird in the clearing that one time, but I don't think it had anything to do with Edward. Geez, this book is useless! I might as well randomly flip through it and pick a page to determine what Edward is; actually reading it isn't helping at all."

Tiffany just laughed as Bella flipped the pages of the book quickly through her hands and randomly grabbed a page somewhere in the middle to try and prove her point. Her laughter was cut short as Bella gasped and dropped the book as soon as she looked at the page.

She leaned over and picked up the book, staring at the gorgeous people on the page before handing it back to Bella. "What's wrong? Did you find something in your 'random' search?"

"Y-yes, in the enemies section." Bella's voice was barely a whisper, but there was not a hint of fear in it. "This isn't just about Edward's kind, it's about Edward! This is him, there is no mistaking it. I don't know who those other people are, but I think I've caught glimpses of a couple of them on different visits. I've seen his eyes this golden color the most frequent."

Tiffany leaned over and pulled the book out of her hands. She read the passage aloud, trying to figure out just what Bella had found. "The natural enemies of the wolves, vampires are normally not to be trusted. But this peculiar coven has committed to a life of human protection that complements the wolves' purpose. They choose to sustain themselves solely on animal blood and their leader has worked for centuries to save as many human lives as he and his coven could. For this reason, a treaty of sorts was struck between the coven and the local tribe of wolves, the Quileutes. They would both stick to their own land and the vampire coven would be allowed in the Forks area as long as they never bit a human."

"Forks? As in Washington? As in where Charlie lives? Do you think that he's there now? It may be easier than I ever thought for us to be together!" A huge grin broke out on Bella's face as she processed the information Tiffany relayed to her.

"You do realize that I just confirmed that the love of your life is an immortal vampire, right? Bella, only you (and maybe me since we're being totally honest here) would skip right over that tiny detail! But yes, this particular book is specific to Washington state, and I've only heard of a Quileute tribe in the Forks where your father lives. The book says they are _allowed_ in the area, not that they are _always_ living in the area. So don't get your hopes up too high that a simple visit to Charlie will solve all your romantic problems. On the other hand, no amount of space or time has kept you apart yet, so it is only a matter of time before you are together. Whether they are in Forks now or not, I think Charlie living there will give you two the ability to be together finally." Tiffany's grin matched Bella's; she was so happy for her friend she could barely contain her joy. She knew that whatever this Edward truly was, friendly vampire or alien from the planet Zork, he could never intentionally hurt Bella.

"Hey, I heard the part about him being a vampire; I was paying very close attention. I also heard the part about not drinking human's blood and a commitment to protecting humans. That's better than most human men I know; so if that's the case I'll take a vampire any day! I'm sure we can find a way to deal with the immortality issue…who knows, maybe one day I'll get to be a vampire!" Bella chuckled at this last thought. She then whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes at Tiffany. "My 'romantic problems,' eh? Is that what you think this is? You, of all people, should understand what it is like to be apart from your other half, your true love. This is more than a simple teenage romance drama, Tiffany! This is a true life crisis; every moment I am without him it gets harder and harder to bear." Anger at the idea of minimizing her troubles flashed in Bella's eyes.

Tiffany just laughed. "Of course I understand my dear. Every day that I wake up without Zach is just as agonizing as it was the first day after the accident; it gets better quicker as time passes, but the ache in my heart will never heal. I just threw that in to make sure you were actually paying attention to everything we were talking about and not still in shock! It was either that or throw a cup of water at you; I'm guessing I chose right!"

Bella got up and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Oh Tiff, I'm so sorry to bring up all these memories for you. I had no idea what you've been going through until now. And I just haven't _found_ Edward yet, I haven't lost him. I can't imagine what that would be like and how I would even be able to go on with my life. You are such an amazingly strong person Tiff. Thank you so much for being here for me now. I can't tell you how much this means to me." A few tears escaped Bella's eyes, but Tiffany wiped them away quickly.

"Now, now Bells, stop this carrying on! The memories that are coming back are wonderful, loving memories. It never hurts me to think of the love and I can never escape thinking of the loss. You weren't very old those first couple of years after the accident; you're mom really helped me get through that time. I'm glad I can be here for you to return the favor. You know I always think of you as my little sister."

"I know, Big Sis!" Bella flashed Tiffany a quick smile and a wink, reminding her of the times when she was little and used to tell everyone that Tiffany _was_ her big sister. The fact that Tiffany and Renee were less than 10 years apart made it a little hard for people to believe, but Bella was quite convincing as a little kid. "One day someone will come along and take the pain away Tiff, your time will come."

"Thanks Bells, I hope so too. But I'm just glad I had the time that I did with my Zach. Now, enough about me; let's get a plan to find your Edward." Tiffany had healed remarkably over the past 10 years, but she still couldn't get rid of the sharp stabbing pain in her chest whenever she thought too long about Zach. She was well past the limit now, so she tried to change the conversation quickly.

"Well, the note in the jacket kind of gave me an idea." Bella grabbed her purse and took out Wuthering Heights.

"What, you're going to get yourself lost on a moor? You know, we don't exactly have the same kind of weather here in Phoenix Bella."

"No, stupid! I'm going to carry this book with me everywhere and hold onto it whenever I fall asleep. Then, **when** I visit him again, I will leave the book for him. It doesn't seem right to try to find him any other way. I will put a note in the book with a way for him to find me; I've already made my decision, but I want him to have his opportunity to choose what he wants." Bella place a lot of emphasis on the "when;" she knew that she'd have an opportunity to give him the book, there was no other option she could even consider.

"That's a great idea! Since you look like you are about to keel over any minute, why don't you write your letter now. Just in case, you know!" Tiff shoved the notepad and pen at Bella, and then walked over to get herself another cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I guess I am feeling a little drained. I'll just write the letter now; I think I know what I want to say." Bella didn't have to try very hard, the words flowing from her pen as easy as the ink did.

_Dearest Edward,_

_I'm sure you will find this strange; I certainly did when I figured it out. But maybe you too will feel the same sense of relief and completeness I do once all the pieces are put together. My name is Bella Swan and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. It is October 14, 2006 where I am._

_In my life, I have been visiting you for the past 7 months. In your life, I think I have been visiting you for close to 90 years. I'm certain you've recognized me at my different visits, but perhaps they don't mean the same to you as they do to me. Every moment that I spend with you, I fall deeper and deeper in love. We are meant to be together; I can't help but feel it is our destiny. I need you to know that I have made my decision with my eyes wide open. I know that you are a vampire and are immortal; none of that means anything to me. The only thing that I want now is to spend the rest of my time with you._

_But I want to give you an opportunity to make the same informed choice. I know that you must feel the unusual bond we have; but perhaps it is not the same for you. I am but a silly, clumsy human girl; hardly worthy of your love. But I am yours for eternity; all you have to do is come for me._

_I can't know exactly when you will get this, but I will be waiting for you._

_With more love than I thought was possible,_

_Bella_

Bella folded her note and laid it down on the table. "Can you hand me my book please, I want to put my note in it?"

Tiffany picked up the book from the chair she had left it. "What the heck do you have in here? There must be 15 different pieces of paper! You better clean this out or he will have no idea what to make of it. He might try to finish your," she paused as she took out one of the papers and read it, "trig homework and never even read the letter!"

"Just give it to me! I'll take care of it!" Bella dumped all the papers out on the table, making sure the book was completely empty, aside from her bookmarks. She grabbed her note and shoved it in the middle of the book; she then threw the book into her purse and started to gather up the papers on the table. "I know I promised you that I would tell you about what happened with Josh, but I am so exhausted right now I don't think I can handle it. How about if you come over after the store closes and I'll cook us both dinner? I'll be able to get a nice long nap in since it is only noon now. Wait, it's noon? Where the heck are the customers? Saturday is normally the busiest day! What's that note on the door, why is it locked?" As she realized that Tiffany had closed the store, Bella started shaking her head angrily.

Tiffany took the papers from Bella and started shoving her toward the door. "Bella – STOP! Yes, I closed the store for a few hours. No big deal. I wanted to talk to you and that was much more important than making sure that a couple of middle school kids had the latest Harry Potter novel or something like that. You know it was completely my decision, so you are not allowed to get mad about it. You've seen enough people come in to work who were certainly not in working condition to know how I normally deal with that. I could have put you on the couch in the back just as easily as I do with the hangover twins, but it was more important to me that we talk. You are not allowed to feel guilty…just make me your famous lasagna for dinner and then we will be even!" Tiffany smiled her mischievous smile, and Bella knew that she was never going to be allowed to even voice a single protest.

"Fine, but you are getting homemade garlic bread too!" That was about all the ammunition she had.

"Ooh, you keep threatening me with delicious Italian food and I might never let you leave! Now, get your butt out of here and go get a nap! I'll be at your house around 7, is that alright?"

"Yup, that gives me plenty of time for a nice nap and to slave over a hot stove for you. Who knows, maybe I'll have another visit by then and I can tell you about it!"

"Well, good luck and don't let go of the book! Can you flip the sign to 'OPEN' as you leave?"

"Sure thing! See you later Tiff! Thanks again for everything." Bella pulled off Tiffany's note and threw it into the trash, then flipped the sign over as she walked out the door.

Bella went home and got the initial work done to prepare dinner for Tiffany and herself. Once everything was ready to go in the oven, she set an alarm for 5:30, giving her enough time to cook, and settled into the couch for a nap. She lay down and covered herself with the quilt, clutching her book in both her hands. She thought about strapping it to her body so she couldn't leave it, but she figured that might be extreme. She never knew what situation she'd find herself when she arrived at a visit, but it was always in whatever state she was in when she fell asleep. It was risky to chance showing up in a room full of people in sweats with a book strapped to her chest. She'd try holding onto it this time, but if it didn't work she would rethink a way to secure it to her body.

If she hadn't been so exhausted by the day's events and the cooking prep she would have never been able to fall asleep for her excitement. It took her back to when she was 5 years old and waiting to hear the sounds of Santa Claus and his reindeer on the roof of her house! But the day had taken its toll and she quickly fell into a sound sleep and found herself in the midst of another visit.

* * *

She was in a clearing in a forest, not one she'd been in before. She looked down and her heart leapt with joy when she found she had managed to bring the book with her. _Finally, things are starting to go my way! Now, where is Edward?_ Bella scanned the clearing and the tree line, squinting into the sudden burst of sunlight, but couldn't find him. She looked down in disappointment, trying to decide if she should leave the book or take it back with her if she didn't find him. Just as she was about to give up hope, she heard his velvety voice call out to greet her.

"Hello!" He sounded tentative, and slightly awestruck. Bella marveled at the idea that she could stun him; her heart jumped at the thought that he was as thrilled by her visit as she was. She couldn't help but smile widely as she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Hello. I'm so glad to see you again." _I have to be careful with what I say; I can't scare him. I can't believe how much it hurts to be apart from him, even though it has only been a few hours this time._ "I've missed these dreams." As they dominated her thoughts, those words escaped from her lips quite without her permission; Bella hoped Edward hadn't heard her.

"Dreams? I thought you were **my** dream." Edward answered her mutinous words in a wistful tone. _Damn, of course he heard me. Okay, I won't explain that to him because it will take way too much time._

"Never mind that. I'm sure we don't have much time, I don't want to waste it." Bella briefly struggled with what to do with the book. The trees were starting to fade in and out, so she didn't think there was much time left in the visit. She had wanted to give it to him, but she was afraid if she tried to carry it to him she might return home still holding it. Instead, she slowly bent down and laid it carefully on the ground, trying to make sure Edward saw her putting it down. Again, luck seemed to be with her, as the trees continued to stay solid once she stood up again. Bella felt the love pulse between the two of them as she threw her arms wide open and slowly made her way across the clearing to him. It was all she could to not to run and jump into his embrace; she didn't want to take him by surprise and wanted to be sure he returned her feelings.

She had barely closed the gap by 10 feet when his posture completely changed. He stiffened and started backing away from her in equal measure to her forward progress. _Oh no, I've scared him. I should have just talked to him, now I've ruined everything! _ "What's wrong? Did I frighten you?" Bella searched his deep onyx eyes, fighting to hold the tears back from hers.

"No, you didn't frighten me. I'm afraid I'll frighten you. I'm different than I was when I last saw you. I can't begin to explain how pleased I am to see you, but I can't be that selfish. It isn't safe for you here." Bella relaxed once she realized he was simply afraid _for_ her, not of her. She smiled at the word "pleased;" and quickly realized that his talk of selfishness could only mean that he wanted her to be with him. She registered that his warnings for her usually came when his eyes were black, so she also took that to heart. She knew he'd never hurt her, but she didn't want him to be uncomfortable. From his tone, this visit was probably early on in his life; he was probably unsure of what to expect from her.

As the trees started to fade in earnest this time, she knew she only had a few more moments. She tried to convey as much as she could in her parting words; anxious to let him know she wasn't afraid of him. "You say that, yet I don't believe you. I always feel safest when I am with you, no matter how unreal it is. Sadly, this visit has come to its end too quickly, as usual. See you in my dreams!"

* * *

Bella woke with a start and glanced at the clock; it was only 4, so she couldn't blame the alarm for the short duration of the visit. Still, regardless of the length of time, she was thrilled she had seen Edward again. And most importantly, she'd left the book and her letter for him in the clearing. He had seemed quite eager to know her and speak to her, so she felt confident that he would pick up the book and read her letter. How he would react to it, she had no way to truly know; her heart told her that it was just a matter of time before he showed up like a knight in shining armor to rescue from the suburban nightmare that her life was about to become. She shivered as she thought about the upcoming conversation she and Tiffany were going to have. She rolled off the couch and retrieved Edward's jacket from the chair she had left it and put it on for comfort. Since she had some extra time, she began to make some brownies for dessert and spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen preparing the evening's meal.

* * *

Tiffany was closing up the register for the night when she saw the pile of papers she had taken from Bella sitting on the counter_. Better see what these are in case she needs them._ The first couple things were just silly flyers about school dances and pep rally's that were probably trash, one was a homework assignment and one was an English test on which Bella has scored a perfect 100. But when Tiffany unfolded the last piece, she just gasped as she started reading…"_Dearest Edward_…"

_**

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Author's Note: Hmm…so what WAS the paper in the book? Hmmm?? Any guesses? I promise the next chapter will be Edward and Alice, then we'll be back to the drama unfolding with Josh and Bella.**_

_**I'm taking a page from of my favorite author's and am going to have a Featured Author in all my new chapters! This way I can bring some attention to some of the fantastic stories I've found out there and you faithful reviewers! **_

_**Drumroll please….The first one is A Cullen Wannabee, who I stole this idea from and has graciously made me one of her featured authors! She is an awesome writer who has written 4 stories for Twilight – the first on is called "In the Shadow of the Day" which is set post BD and features Bella's orphaned little sister Angelina and her life as a human with the Cullens and the werewolves. Next up is "Chasing Away the Shadows", which is the sequel to "In the Shadow of the Day", and an awesome extras companion story to the sequel with some different POVs than the original. I can't tell you more about these stories without giving stuff away, but believe me they are riveting!! She also has a very moving one-shot songfic called The Red that is truly outstanding! Check out her stories…you won't be sorry :) You can find her profile link on my favorite authors tab, and her stories on my favorite stories.**_


	12. 12: Decisions, decisions, decisions

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!!**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! For this chapter, we are going back to the Cullen's for a little while, firstly to see Alice when she first realizes that Bella has decided that her love for Edward is real.**_

Also - the lovely and talented Becca (RebeccaMarieCullen) has done some wonderful drawings to accompany this story. And she's helped me get them posted somewhere so you all can see them! The link is now up on my profile...right at the top, so check it out!!

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* * *

Chapter 12: Decisions, decisions, decisions**

**Where we left off…Edward just remembered that he had a book that "his angel" had left him sometime back in his early years which he'd never really looked at. Alice has hidden the book and isn't letting him look at it until she feels it is the right time. She has convinced (also known as given him no other options) Edward that he has to let this play out as fate has written it and he can't force a meeting between him and this mysterious girl. Alice has also revealed to him that she has some visions of this girl becoming a vampire as well, but Edward is determined not to allow that.**

**As far as the timeline goes…This chapter happens pretty much exactly at the same time as the last handful of chapters for Bella, so Alice's visions change with Bella's decisions throughout the whole dance ordeal. **

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* * *

APOV!**

"Oh Jasper dear, I think we should go away for the weekend! I'm feeling rather romantic, and our dear brother's broodiness is not doing anything for your mood." Alice was careful to think only of her "plans" for the weekend, and not the dramatic shift that her visions had just taken. They were walking into the cafeteria at school, discussing their weekend plans out of sheer boredom. Edward was getting more and more irritable with every day that passed where Alice didn't give him the girl's book. So the whole family was on edge, Jasper especially; Edward was normally rather moody and sullen, but this was a whole new level.

Over the course of the last few days, all the visions of Edward and the mysterious girl started fading in and out, like a TV with bad reception. Usually at night they were crystal clear, but during the day they started going in and out. As the days progressed, the time they were clear was getting less and less. Much more time around Edward and he was going to notice; if he wasn't so distracted by his angst he probably would have noticed by now. However, the vision she had on her way from the last class made it perfectly clear to her that she needed to stay as far away from Edward as possible.

_Later that night, Edward would catch on that his future with the girl was most likely no longer going to happen. He would search high and low, finding the book and the trail that would lead him to her. He would show up at her house at the worst possible time and terrify her. She would never realize that their love was real, that he was real, and would most likely require extended stays in a mental institution to regain her sanity._

Alice was determined to prevent that from happening. The minute Jasper nodded his assent to the weekend away, that vision drifted from her sight and nothing so ominous returned. When she glanced at Edward's immediate future, all she saw was more brooding; unfortunately for him, that was his best option at this point.

"Jazz, I don't really want to wait until we're done to leave. Let's just head out now, is that alright? I saw the cutest shoes on sale at a store we'll pass, but I think they won't have my size if we wait too much longer." Alice whined slightly, really trying to sell her story. Edward just glanced up at her and raised his eyebrow, not even bothering to voice his question. "Now Edward, don't bother looking for the book while I'm not here, you will never find it. We'll be back Sunday, and who knows what your future will look like by then!" She tried to reassure him, but at the same time not give him false hope. He just hung his head dejectedly and waved his hand to indicate that they should just leave.

Alice bounced out of her seat, pulling Jasper up with her; she had to keep the joyous pretense up, or Jasper would also catch on. If that happened, then no one would be able to keep if from Edward. "See you guys Sunday! Bye!" They strode out of the cafeteria, Jasper looking slightly bewildered as he followed his petite wife through the halls and out to the parking lot.

As soon as they were in her car, which she'd driven herself for obvious reasons, and speeding away from the school and Edward's prying mind, Jasper started the barrage of questions. "Alice, what the hell is going on? Not that I don't want a weekend away with you, but I know you are hiding something. Is it about Edward or the whole family this time?" Her true emotions were radiating from her now, giving the whole car a feeling of unease and sadness.

"Oh Jazzy, this girl **is** part of the whole family! But to answer the real question you asked, yes, it's about Edward's mystery girl. I don't know why, but all of my visions of them together keep disappearing! I don't know enough about her to see her immediate future, so I have no idea what is going on with her at the moment to cause this change. I know that Edward is her soul mate and they are destined to be together, so whatever is causing this change in visions is not a good thing for her. They keep flickering in and out, so I feel as though it isn't something as horrible as her dying. But I have no way of knowing and it is killing me! She's my best friend!" Alice pulled the car over to the side of the road and crawled onto Jasper's lap, shaking with dry sobs as she let out all the emotions she'd been bottling up for the past few days. He cradled her in his arms and whispered her soothing reassurances, trying to calm her both with his words and his gift.

Minutes, maybe hours passed, and finally Jasper was able to get Alice calm enough to continue on their journey. "Sweetheart, why don't I drive wherever it is we are going and you can just relax and focus on trying to figure out the visions. Did you have anyplace in particular in mind? How about that little hotel by the ocean we go to sometimes? You always say you can think better with the fresh sea breeze."

Alice sighed in relief. "Jasper, that's why I love you so very much. You always know exactly what will make me feel better; the fresh salt air will definitely help me sort out this jumbled mess that is currently running through my mind." She sat in the passenger seat, focusing on her visions for the entire car ride, not speaking another word. They reached their destination and quickly found their way to their favorite suite; it hadn't taken much persuading by Jasper to find it suddenly available for the weekend.

As soon as they had settled themselves in the room, Alice grabbed a notebook and headed out to the balcony. The overcast sky gave them the cover they needed, but it was still a beautiful late fall afternoon at the beach. "I think I need to focus on the details of all the visions I've had, as well as the frequency and clarity of them. Will you take some notes while I describe everything to you?"

"Of course, my dear. Just throw out whatever you think is important and we'll piece it all together. Let's get started, I'm ready when you are." Jasper perched himself on one of the chairs, and opened the notebook to a blank page. He stared at Alice, pen at the ready, waiting for her to begin.

"Well, I guess there's no time like the present! Hmm, let's start with the very first visions. I saw the girl and Edward together in a sunny meadow, she was human, and he was obviously not but she only seemed happy and in love. I saw the girl and me together, getting ready for a party or something, obviously the best of friends. I saw Edward watching her sleep, trying to control his immense thirst for her blood. And of course, the vision I had that has already played out that day in front of the house. All of those visions were pretty solid and I could see them with regularity. Now, the only one I see is Edward watching her sleep, but that is slightly different and is still kind of hazy." Alice twisted her face into a grimace at the thought of losing her friend to whatever the current circumstances were.

Jasper took control of the conversation, leading them with his military strategist persona. "Ok, so basically the only vision that stays is the one that the girl doesn't have much control over. But, Edward still apparently manages to find her, so perhaps it is still only a matter of time before he can win her over. I think that is a strong sign that hope is not lost at all; our completion of a family may continue to be delayed, but I cannot believe that it won't happen. As you've said, they are destined to be together and if their love can manage to find its way through time and humanity, something relatively simple that happens in the human world cannot keep them apart for long." Jasper noticed that the smile Alice gave him didn't quite reach his eyes, so he added in a whisper, "and then you'll get your friend back."

Alice's eyes lit up, knowing that Jasper wouldn't fill her with empty promises just to ease her heartache for the moment. His reasoning was sound; she saw that immediately and started to feel hopeful for the first time in days.

"Okay, that makes sense! I've completely stopped seeing any visions of Edward killing her, but I thought that was part of all the visions disappearing. However, that is the only vision I'm not even seeing glimpses of, so I think he must simply have strengthened his resolve. Perhaps all of this waiting is actually helpful after all. Once or twice I've seen a vision of Edward finding something, although I'm not sure what, in that book of hers that will lead him to her; that's why I'm keeping it from him right now. The other visions I still see occasionally are of their wedding and of this girl as one of us. In both of these, her age varies slightly, but mainly within 5 years of where I think she is right now. I see those both with the same degree of certainty and frequency, so I'd say they are equally likely." She shook her head, recalling Edward's vehement denial that he'd allow her to be 'damned' as he so eloquently put it. "I honestly can't imagine that there is any sort of resolution to this love story that doesn't result in her being changed, but stranger things have happened."

"Did you have any other visions, maybe just a snippet, that might give us a clue as to why they are changing now? Anything at all, maybe the girl isn't even in them." Jasper was trying to prompt Alice's memory, but didn't want to upset her. Surely, she would have already gone through all her visions many times over by now.

"No, there is nothing else! There must be another outside force influencing the situation that I can't see. Oh!" Her eyes glazed over, as a vision hit her with its full force. Jasper waited patiently, reassured by the waves of contentment that radiated from his wife as she continued to be locked into her vision.

After what seemed like an hour, Alice slowly shook her head and looked up at Jasper with a brilliant smile on her face. "What did you see, my love?"

"They are all back! Well, all except the one where Edward succumbs to his thirst, but we know why that has vanished. Every one of my visions of the girl has returned with such clarity that I have complete faith they **will** happen, and soon. I still don't know what caused the changes, but I believe I'm starting to get an idea. I saw flashes of the girl without any of us, and I think they are from her life right now. I saw her in a fancy dress, tripping and spraining her ankle. I saw her crying, in the same dress, but now it was ripped. Then I saw her waking up in the dress and a strange jacket, murmuring something about 'destiny' and 'my other half.' She seemed so happy. Whatever was going on made her finally accept that Edward is her true love and it seems that she is done trying to deny it. Obviously, there will be another turning point when she finds out the whole truth about him, but with a love this strong, I'm not sure that anything can really keep them apart."

Jasper stood up and took Alice's hand, leading her in a delicate dance across the balcony. He reached down and grabbed her waist as she stumbled, another vision hitting her. He guided her back into her chair, watching while she ran through a variety of emotions. This time, apprehension seemed to permeate the air, causing him to be on edge as he continued to wait for Alice's mental return. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, the normal golden hue tinged with the black of anxiety.

"She's figured out that he isn't human. She's not sure what he is, but she knows that he thinks we are monsters. Some sort of letter from Esme, it's kind of unclear. So far, all the other visions are as strong as ever, and I was left feeling a sense of love and hope from her when she came to the realization he couldn't be human. She must be in the process of trying to determine the truth. I'm going to try and focus on everything I know about her to get a clearer picture of her immediate future."

Alice didn't even wait for a comment from Jasper before slipping back into her visions of the future. A wide array of emotions emanated from her as she flipped around in the future, searching for this mysterious girl. Frustration was the primary one, so Jasper tried to relax her somewhat; hoping that would allow her to focus better on the task at hand.

Evening had slipped into night while Alice continued her search for the mysterious girl. The sun was starting to rise, still hidden behind the clouds when a single word broke the hours of silence. "Pen." Alice blurted this out rapidly and quietly, shoving her hand wildly in Jasper's direction.

Had he not been paying the strictest attention, he might not have noticed. He handed her the pen and maneuvered the notepad into her lap. He was used to this routine; sometimes during especially strong visions she drew or wrote down things she saw in order to better capture the essence of the vision to share with everyone who couldn't see them for themselves like Edward.

She scribbled furiously for a moment, and then pulled herself out of her trance and looked up. "She's planning on using the book as a way to carry a message to him! Listen to the letter she's written, well, going to write him." She read the letter she had transcribed from her vision aloud to Jasper.

_Dearest Edward,_

_I'm sure you will find this strange; I certainly did when I figured it out. But maybe you too will feel the same sense of relief and completeness I do once all the pieces are put together. My name is Bella Swan and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. It is October 14, 2006 where I am._

_In my life, I have been visiting you for the past 7 months. In your life, I think I have been visiting you for close to 90 years. I'm certain you've recognized me at my different visits, but perhaps they don't mean the same to you as they do to me. Every moment that I spend with you, I fall deeper and deeper in love. We are meant to be together; I can't help but feel it is our destiny. I need you to know that I have made my decision with my eyes wide open. I know that you are a vampire and are immortal; none of that means anything to me. The only thing that I want now is to spend the rest of my time with you._

_But I want to give you an opportunity to make the same informed choice. I know that you must feel the unusual bond we have; but perhaps it is not the same for you. I am but a silly, clumsy human girl; hardly worthy of your love. But I am yours for eternity; all you have to do is come for me._

_I can't know exactly when you will get this, but I will be waiting for you._

_With more love than I thought was possible,_

_Bella_

"But, that's today's date! And she knows we're vampires, how is that possible? This just leaves me with so many more questions!!" Jasper was finally letting his impatience get to him, now that Alice seemed so content.

"Relax Jazz honey; let me tell you about the rest of my vision. Apparently there is some book out there with Quileute legends in it that not only talks about vampires, but gives specific details including drawings of our family and our treaty with the tribe. As another example of the hand fate is playing here, the bookstore that this girl, Bella, frequents has a copy of this book and she and a friend used it for researching Edward. From what I could see in the vision, both she and her friend seem so assured by the bond of love between Bella and Edward that neither are concerned in the slightest about his vampiric nature." Alice was practically giddy with this new vision, and Jasper couldn't help but feel some excitement as well.

"But how are they going to get together? Is she going to come to Forks? Is he supposed to go to the land of the sun to find her, because that could prove difficult to say the least? How certain do you think this vision is; she can still change her mind, right? What was the cause of her crying?" Jasper hit Alice with his queries rapid fire; he was uncomfortable with the feeling of happiness and contentment he was experiencing thanks to her, when it wasn't accompanied with the knowledge that she had.

"It seemed pretty clear in the vision that she was not going to come look for him. Her friend pointed out that the legend only talked about the fact that we were allowed in the Forks area, not that we permanently resided there. How is she supposed to know we are actually there right now? Her letter is supposed to be the key to Edward finding her, at least that is her plan." Alice paused for a moment, and furrowed her brow in concentration. "Every time I look for the way Edward finds her, I keep seeing a school gymnasium with streamers and balloons; it's almost as if he finds her at a school dance. But there is nothing in that note to indicate that, she basically just invites him to come at any time. So, I'm not exactly sure how that is going to play out, we'll have to wait until Edward investigates the book. As to what other things happened to cause the changes in her decisions and the crying, I have no idea. These visions are as solid as any of our families daily activities are to me; I'd say they are as likely to happen as me getting that pair of shoes I was talking about on the way home!"

"Well, I guess it's a sure thing then! Shall we head back home now? Is it safe to put Edward out of his misery?" Jasper had already repacked their bags and started walking toward the door.

"Well, once we stop by the mall, the timing should be fine! It appeared to be about noon in the visions, so if we wait until after that and they don't change, it will be safe to tell Edward." She followed Jasper out, dancing gaily through the hallways and down to the car.

Jasper was driving them leisurely back home, after stopping for Alice's shoes, when

she gasped suddenly. "Oh, that's what the dance is all about! It's a good thing I saw the letter, it would have been a shame for her to go to all the trouble to write it and Edward never read it. Let's get home Jasper, the future is set now!"

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Author's Note: yes, I know Alice mentioned she needed to get the shoes right away, but that was just an excuse to leave school early. But you didn't think Alice would mention buy shoes and go home empty handed, did you?**_

Featured Author for this chapter is:** Hawkins**

She has a variety of stories, and several great ones for Twilight. "**Baker's Chocolate"** is a favorite of mine; it is set post BD and tells the story of a lost love in Edward's life. "**Never Think"** is a songfic of the Rob Pattinson song from the soundtrack, set in the Phoenix hospital scene. And her new story **"Fate is a Cruel Harpy**" is a really interesting tale of Edward being haunted by different women with mahogany hair and chocolate eyes throughout his life, inexplicably drawn to them but inevitably losing them. Check her out! You can find her on my favorite authors tab and the stories on my favorite stories tab.

_**Also, I've just posted an "Outtakes" story for my Black Friday story which will have a bunch of random Twilight one-shots about funny things (and the occasional lemon maybe) that I allude to in the main story. Don't have to read the main story for them to make sense!!**_


	13. 13: Waitwait

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!!**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all the hits, favs and reviews! Now we are picking up where the last chapter left off, with Edward at home when Alice and Jasper are on their "weekend getaway." Mad props to anyone who guesses the song the chapter title is from.**_

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Chapter 13: wait…wait**_

**EPOV**

"Stupid, insatiable vampires," Edward muttered to himself as he streaked through the forest toward his sanctuary. He had been irritated enough when Alice had dragged Jasper away for their "weekend getaway;" even though Alice was the one keeping him from his angel, she and Jasper were also the only ones who seemed to really understand what he was going through. Then, Rose and Emmett had decided to make the most of their sibling's unexpected absence and were spending lots of "quality time" together, not coming out of their room since they got home from school on Friday. Between the torment of not being able to find the key to his mysterious love and the unpleasant sounds and mental images that were inflicted on him by his libidinous brother and sister he had finally reached his wit's end and fled for more solitary brooding ground.

He slowed his pace as he neared the meadow, and strode slowly but purposefully directly into the center. He stood perfectly still, barely noticing the gentle breeze blowing the last of the warm fall air around him. He reflected on this mysterious girl, with her chestnut curls and deep eyes of chocolate in which he could lose himself forever. What was it about her that drew him in so? Was it only the enticing scent of her blood? If it wasn't, how was he going to be around her if he ever found her? Was she really his soulmate, his other half, his destiny?

He remembered the conversation he'd had with his mother the night of the military ball, one of the few human memories that he clung so strongly to.

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The day after the military ball, in the Masen family sitting room.**

"Mother, I don't understand who she was. It was as if she appeared out of nowhere, and then vanished into thin air! I followed her into the hallway and searched for hours all around the grounds, but there was no trace. You said no one knew who she was, she hadn't come with anyone and you hadn't seen her before. Why did you let me dance with her for so long? I wasn't supposed to leave your side all night. How can you say that I will find her again?" Edward was extremely confused at the previous evening's events and desperately hoped his mother could shed some light onto the unusual situation. He crossed the room and sat down next to her as she began to speak.

"My dear son, I do not have all of the explanations. In fact, I really don't have _any_ explanations. All that I can tell you is that the moment I saw her I knew, as only a mother knows, that she is the one for you. Since before you were born, I've known that you were destined for greatness. Not the standard 'war hero/company president' greatness that so many people wish for their children. You, my son, will have a chance to make an amazing impact on this world in a way that is totally unique. And this girl, this captivating young woman from last night, she is the key to making that future happen. You must trust in your mother that she knows what is best for you." Elizabeth smiled warmly at her son as she took his hands in hers, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the sofa.

Edward sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what his mother had said. He had never had a reason to doubt her, but this was all so confusing to him. "Mother, I know better than to doubt what you tell me, but how can this be true? How can you know these things? Can you see the future?" He whispered his last question, although no one was around to hear them; he felt foolish even for asking.

Elizabeth's eyes had snapped open when Edward had broken his silence, and a sly smile brightened them with his last question. "Silly boy, of course I cannot see the future. Although, your great-grandmother Sadie always claimed that she could and swore that she had passed that trait on to me. I always say I am just a good guesser and have a knack for reading a situation well. So of course I can't know with absolute certainty the outcome of your life, but I've never been wrong when my instincts have been this strong. It's as I told you last evening, she is your destiny and you two will find each other again." She rested back again, but quickly doubled over in a brief coughing fit.

Edward stood up, alarmed. "Mother! Are you alright? I didn't realize you were ill, I wouldn't have been bothering you with my childish questions. Please, let me get you something or escort you to your room. What can I do?"

Elizabeth looked up at her son with a tough smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, although in his concern he didn't quite notice. "Don't be silly dear. I'm perfectly fine, my throat must just still be parched from all the talking I did last night. I could use a glass of water, if you don't mind." In truth, Elizabeth knew she was already too ill for much else to help; it wasn't much longer before they met Carlisle and Edward's life was dramatically altered.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

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The sound of approaching footsteps and random thoughts from his brother and sister snapped Edward out of his reminiscing. After all of these years, it amazed him how much of the last few days of his human life he had such vivid memories. He thought it was because it was the last thing that had happened to him, therefore easier to remember; now he was beginning to realize that it was simply because it was connected to **her**, this mysterious girl he couldn't seem to live without. "Ugh!" He cried out in frustration, just as Alice and Jasper danced into the clearing.

"Brother, dear, we've been away for two days, is that any way to welcome us back?" Alice's tinkling laugh echoed through the trees, dancing off the wind that swirled lightly around them.

"Oh, Alice, I can't take this anymore! You would think after all of this time I would have more patience, but I just don't. I don't even know her name! It is so frustrating to not even know that tiny detail about this wonderful girl about whom my entire existence seems to revolve." Edward dropped into a heap on the ground, giving up all pretenses of keeping himself together. "At least that would be a clue to finding her. Wait – did you ever get any kind of clue what it might be in any of your visions? Go back over them and let me see again. What? Why are you translating the musical Cats into sign language – is that even possible?" Edward had jumped up at the thought of clues in Alice's vision, but stopped in his tracks when he realized Alice was hiding something from him.

Alice grinned and looked at Jasper, who nodded. Edward's eyes moved back and forth between the two of them, mimicking his mind; all three were searching both of them for some clue as to what was going on. Suddenly, he sank down to the ground again, as a wave of immense calm washed over him. He glared at Jasper as his brother and sister moved toward him and sat across from him carefully. "WHAT – IS – GOING – ON??" He pushed each word out quickly but quietly, trying to express the emotions Jasper wasn't allowing him to feel.

Jasper continued to concentrate on Edward's face, holding the mask of calm over him. Alice piped up, speaking with unusual calm herself. "Okay, here is the deal. While we were away, I had a series of visions that have solidified a lot of the future with you and Bella. However, there are a lot of details and still some waiting that you are going to need to do, so more patience will be required. I think that some of things that I am going to tell you will help your patience. I will be continuing my translating work for two reasons. One, because deaf people also deserve to experience the wonder that is Cats, and two, we both felt it best that Jasper be fully involved in both sides of the conversation in case he needs to do any serious emotion controlling. Those are my terms, are you willing to agree?"

"Yes! Anything for more information. I've already agreed to allow you to guide me on this journey, although sometimes I don't know why. But I'm confused, who is this Bella?" Edward sat up, obviously eager for whatever Alice would tell him and clearly willing to submit to her terms. Jasper let up a little on the calm, but he watched carefully for any signs that Edward would bolt. Once he had Bella's information, if he decided to go to her, there wasn't much he or Alice could do to stop him unless they caught it right away.

Alice took a deep breathe and carefully told him the whole story. She started with how the visions and begun disappearing, and the reason for their weekend away. Understandably, Edward tensed, but to his credit he didn't interrupt or react in any way, allowing Alice to continue with her tale. "Jasper helped me sort through the visions that I had been having, and we tried to determine the meaning behind which ones were continuing and which weren't. Our military strategist over here figured out that only the visions that were solely under her control were the ones that were disappearing. The ones of you watching her were still there, just slightly different. But since the visions of you killing her have disappeared, and are still gone now that the rest have returned, we feel confident that you definitely won't kill Bella! Aren't you excited about that?"

Edward cut his eyes at Alice, barely controlling his temper, even with Jasper's help. "Who the HELL is Bella???" His roar startled Alice as it echoed through the forest.

"Oh, didn't I mention that? Well, I found out that **her** name is Bella Swan and evidently she has some family in this area...hmm, Swan, I wonder if maybe she's related to the Police Chief? That would make sense I guess. If she had family here, there would be some other reason to bring her to the area if it wasn't for you…" Alice was pulled back from her line of thinking by yet another roar from Edward.

"STOP with the verbal _and_ mental rambling TS Eliot! Okay, so her name is Bella and she may be related to the local Police Chief. How does that help here? And how can you feel so confident that I won't kill her? What if her scent is the only reason I want to be around her, and you are all crazy with this whole 'soulmate and destiny' thing? And don't just say 'you know better than to bet against me' because we both know how easily the future can be changed."

Alice returned Edward's glare with one that was equally menacing, leaping up and standing over him for added effect. She was getting a little tired of his brooding behavior and was taking exception to his treatment of the two family members that were going out of their way to actually help him.

"Fine! But you've been around her twice when you were hunting, and you had no difficulties then. And neither of those times were you aware of the unique situation between the two of you. Jasper has felt your emotions enough to know that it is true love, not some stupid predator/prey connection that draws the two of you together. And if you would get over yourself for 5 minutes you'd realize that you've always known the truth. Be honest, do you think there is even the slightest chance that this is only about your thirst for her blood?"

"No, you're right. There is no denying the love I feel for her, although what good it will do her I have no idea. And it's three times, not only twice while hunting. Don't you remember the story of why I came home after my 'rebellious' years? She's the reason." Edward replied glumly, yet a glimmer of hope laced his words as he finally started to believe there was a chance for this love that had been growing every minute since he first danced with his Bella.

Jasper spoke up for the first time at this revelation. "I had always thought it was something that Esme said that brought you back home. There is always the strangest sense of pride in her being whenever someone mentions that time in our family's history; I just assumed it was because she somehow managed to knock some sense into your head. Perhaps she is just proud of you for deciding to come home, but I could have sworn it was pride in herself."

"I can explain that. It was partially Esme's doing; frankly, without this, I mean, without **Bella's** intervention I still would have come home within a few months." Edward paused briefly as he said Bella's name, his face lighting up at the simple pleasure in finally having a name to use. "You see, Esme wrote me a letter, not trying to convince me that I was doing anything wrong or that I should come home. She simply told me that she and Carlisle loved me and I should follow my conscience, asking me to stop by for a visit. I carried that letter around with me in my pocket, reading it several times a day; with each reading another 'reason' for my new lifestyle slowly faded away. The fact that they accepted my behavior and loved me still is what brought me back into the fold; I knew that I wanted to always have that level of compassion if possible and could feel it slipping away from me the more time I spent with the scum I dealt with out on the streets. It was probably similar to the way you felt Jasper; why you left Maria and then Peter and Charlotte. I hadn't realized it at the time, but I was most likely very close to giving in to their unwritten pleas to return to them when Bella came into my life once again."

Edward looked at the ground, wringing his hands, as if trying to find the courage to dig out this memory. Quietly, he began his story, not looking up; the shame he felt for his actions that night resting on his shoulders like a cross a criminal might carry for his crucifixion.

"Bella was also the inspiration for this rebellious crusade, so to speak. The idea first entered my mind back when it was just Carlisle and I; he was very opposed to it at the time, feeling that it was not my justice to deliver. I obviously disagreed, but was unwilling to make waves so early on in our relationship so I just kept the idea on the back burner until I had found a way to persuade Carlisle to see my reasoning. It had been born out of an urge to be a help to society in some way, so I threw the rest of my energy in focusing on controlling my thirst and trying to learn all I could about medicine so I could one day follow in his footsteps. But the day I spoke to him about it, something happened that planted a seed in my subconscious that wouldn't allow me to let go of the idea.

"Bella visited me that day, the first time after I had been changed. I've told you about this visit before, it was when she left the book. But I've not told you what happened after the visit. I continued on and hunted with Carlisle, and then I wandered around town, eager to continue my fruitless quest to try and find this mysterious girl and also to strengthen my control around humans. I was in a bookstore when I saw the back of a girl who could have been Bella; I thought for a moment it was her until I heard her thoughts. At that point I realized that she was being abused by her soulless husband, although she was safe from his cruelty that evening. I kept thinking that it could have been **her**, and I couldn't stand by and allow that to happen. I had to do everything in my power to protect her, no matter how irrational it seemed. And when this insane drive to rid the world of all the malevolent forces to protect a girl I knew nothing about except that I somehow loved her came to a head, I left my family and began my career as a vigilante."

Jasper broke in quickly, unable to take the pressure of the guilt Edward was raining down on him. "Edward, you need to let go of this guilt. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter. She still loves you, she still wants to be with you. Alice's visions prove that."

Edward looked up at his brother, his expression tenuous at best. "Please listen to the whole story before you make your judgments. For all we know, the incident I am about to describe to you hasn't happened in her life yet; it is clear that our timelines do not track chronologically in these visits."

"I think that it has, and I think it is one of the things that has cemented your future. But we will listen to your story, and then you will listen to ours before we draw any conclusions. Please proceed." Alice encouraged Edward to continue, knowing that it was important that he get all of this history out in the open. He took a deep breath and continued his tale.

"It was a particularly chilly evening, and I was stalking my next victim from several blocks away, following his mind, trying to assess exactly how much of a danger to society he was. I had Esme's letter in my pocket, and it was a constant reminder of that long ago conversation with Carlisle about how the justice perhaps wasn't mine to serve. As time progressed, I found myself no longer able to kill based on a thought of hurting someone or a memory of having hurt someone in the past; I could only reconcile my deeds when I stopped someone in such a vile act and their guilt was absolute. For this reason, I was out of sight when Bella appeared on the sidewalk where I later found her.

"My guess is that she just showed up, as she normally does in our meetings, and began walking down the sidewalk she had found herself. She walked past the alley my prey was hiding in and caught his attention. I hadn't noticed her before, as no one else was around and I couldn't read her mind, just like now. Based on my prey's thoughts, she somehow fell and was now a sitting duck, waiting for his evil hands.

"As soon as I registered that he had found a victim, I had begun to make my move. But when I realized it was **her**, I ran as fast as I could to catch him before he could even think about laying a hand on her. I can still remember the bizarre barrage of emotions that ran through me. Obviously, there was the unbridled rage at this maniac, my thirst growing wilder every second I thought about what he wanted to do to her; but at war with that was the intense passion, love and protection that she brought out in me. I could smell her beautiful scent, freesia and strawberries, and it drew me in, crying out for protection. Quickly, all of my thoughts focused into one objective: eliminate this threat from my angel, and inflict as much pain on him as possible while doing it.

"As I rounded the corner, I took in the scene, trying to determine the best angle of attack. I saw her shiver as he approached within 5 feet, his disgusting leer taking in her gorgeous body with horrifying thoughts that I still can't block from my mind. He taunted her, yelling out and frightening her more. 'Oh baby, you look like you're ready for me already! Come to daddy!' But surprisingly, this did nothing but reinforce the look of sheer determination on her face; my angel was not going to give in easily to this cretin.

"The words had barely escaped his lips when I reached him, knocking him to the ground, as far away from Bella as possible. There was enough force in the initial hit to put him out cold for a while, so I allowed myself to look at her, fearing that she would be frightened of me now. I heard her heart beating erratically, and stop momentarily as she met my eyes. To my amazement, I saw only love and happiness in her deep chocolate orbs. I couldn't understand what I was seeing, certain that she must be in shock, when I spoke. 'You've saved me yet again. I know you say you're a danger to me, but I'm happiest in your presence. Thank you, for you saved me tonight from more than you will ever know.' She was barely able to speak, as violent shivers overtook her body.

"I was so shocked by both her expression and her words I can't say what my initial expression was. I allowed myself a moment of joy, smiling at her kind words; that was quickly stolen from me when I took in her condition. Somewhere, something more terrible had happened to her. She was injured, her dress was ripped and she was freezing. The only thing I could do was try and warm her, although my jacket was more likely colder than the air. I tossed it to her, unwilling to turn my back on her attacker lest he gain consciousness while I was distracted. She noticed my predicament, and waved me on, indicating that I should do what I needed to in order to get rid of her attacker.

"I hesitantly left her, explaining that she didn't need to be exposed to what I was about to do and that I would return quickly to care for her. I quickly snapped my prey's neck, my initial plan from revenge long gone in favor of taking care of her, but took a few moments to feed, as I was quite thirsty and wasn't sure how stable I'd be around her with my thirst as uncontrollable as it was. I was so eager to return to her, I didn't properly clean up after my meal, and felt a small stream of liquid coming from the corner of my mouth. Not thinking, I wiped it away, and immediately realized I was closer than I thought to her and that she'd seen what was there and my casual removal of it. I started backtracking, terrified of seeing the face that had so recently been filled with happiness and love now filled with fear and disgust. The conversation that followed is etched forever in my mind.

"'I'm a monster! I cannot let you see me like this!' I was resolute that even if she could somehow accept me, she couldn't be subjected to see me in all my monstrous glory.

"Inexplicably, she called out after me, in a weak but determined voice. 'I don't care! It does not matter to me! Come back to me!'

"That stopped me; I turned to face her and question her odd words. 'You don't care? You don't even know what I am!' I couldn't deny the love I felt for this girl, but I couldn't comprehend a way that we could be together. No one so perfect should have to be a part of my world. I asked her more directly. 'How can you want me?'

"Her next words are what have kept me sane for the last few decades. They are what force me to acknowledge what you and my mother have all said is true; that we are meant to be together somehow, no matter how unfair to her it seems. 'You are my other half. You are my destiny.' As she said these magical words, her face lit up in a smile the brilliance of which I have never seen matched. Our connection had never, nor has ever since, felt so absolutely strong and true than during that meeting; other than when we met and she left me that book.

"I started walking back to her, hoping that perhaps there was a way we could be together. But I was still many yards away when she disappeared without a trace, leaving me again wondering if it was all my imagination. All I had to show for it was a missing jacket and more than enough self-loathing for eternity. I was so ashamed, am still so ashamed, that I allowed myself to behave so monstrously in front of her. I don't know how she could even think of me as anything but a nightmare after that. So if you are still having visions of her and I together willingly on her part, then obviously this hasn't happened yet in her life." Edward glowered at Alice, daring her to contradict him.

"Was this jacket black leather, with silver buttons on the front and sleeves and a high collar?" Alice simply asked the question, but she couldn't hide the gleam in her eye.

Edward answered her warily, "Yes, it was. Why?" He narrowed his eyes, awaiting her answer.

Alice leapt in the air and twirled around, clapping her hands with the exuberance of 5 year old on their birthday. "She has experienced that visit! I've seen a vision of what happens when she wakes up, she is so happy, mumbling things about 'my other half' and 'destiny.' She's wearing a ripped dress just like you described and a jacket just like that. In fact, that visit seems to be what prompts her to leave you Wuthering Heights the next time, in her time, she visits you. You see Edward, it IS your destiny! You two are meant to be together and nothing can keep you apart."

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Author's Note: Okay, this chapter sort of took on a life of its own, so the next one will have Alice reveal the rest of the visions to him and the letter, and also show him the book. I hope Edward's telling of the visit with Bella to Alice and Jasper isn't too confusing, I just really wanted it to be in first person (and I'm a moron who started the story in third person!!!). Plus, I wanted to show some of the reactions before/after to the story as he told it. Hope you enjoyed it (please review and let me know!)**_

Featured Author for this chapter is: **latuacantante1917**

She has three great stories…"Sunset Flower" is the story of Renesmee set 10 years after BD and features her development of romantic relationships!! "Soulmates" is the story of Alice and Jasper's beginning and "Until the last one dies" is a very sweet BxE oneshot. You can find her on my favorite author's tab!


	14. 14: Always trust Alice

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own the plot…SM owns everything else!! Sorry for the delay, writer's block is KILLING me!! I put a few things in here to help jog your memory since it may have been a while since you last were reading…**_

Recap…

"Was this jacket black leather, with silver buttons on the front and sleeves and a high collar?" Alice simply asked the question, but she couldn't hide the gleam in her eye.

Edward answered her warily, "Yes, it was. Why?" He narrowed his eyes, awaiting her answer.

Alice leapt in the air and twirled around, clapping her hands with the exuberance of 5 year old on their birthday. "She has experienced that visit! I've seen a vision of what happens when she wakes up, she is so happy, mumbling things about 'my other half' and 'destiny.' She's wearing a ripped dress just like you described and a jacket just like that. In fact, that visit seems to be what prompts her to leave you Wuthering Heights the next time, in her time, she visits you. You see Edward, it IS your destiny! You two are meant to be together and nothing can keep you apart."

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Chapter 14: Always trust Alice  
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**EPOV**

Momentarily shocked, Edward stared at his sister, speechless, his mouth agape. Quickly, he recovered enough to find the words to convey his thoughts to his companions. "She left the book for me on purpose? Then give it to me now! It's clear she meant for me to find a message in it..." He stopped abruptly mid-sentence and sank back down into a crumpled mess, holding his head in his hands. "NO! I can't continue to intrude on her life. I'm not enough for her. She deserves a real man, someone who can give her a normal, happy life with children; someone she can grow old with. And DON'T tell me we could have eternity together, because I will not damn her to this life. And don't tell me that we are soul mates or whatever you keep saying, because once she knows what I truly am, she'll run screaming faster than even you could predict Alice."

With his last accusation, he shot his sister a piercing glare, daring her to argue with him. His concentration was so riveted to her, that he didn't notice as Jasper calmly walked over to him and dropped a piece of paper in his lap. When he felt the featherlike touch of the paper on his hands, he glanced down curiously. He opened the note and read, tenuously at first, his pace quickening as he realized what he was reading.

_Dearest Edward,_

_I'm sure you will find this strange; I certainly did when I figured it out. But maybe you too will feel the same sense of relief and completeness I do once all the pieces are put together. My name is Bella Swan and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. It is October 14, 2006 where I am._

_In my life, I have been visiting you for the past 7 months. In your life, I think I have been visiting you for close to 90 years. I'm certain you've recognized me at my different visits, but perhaps they don't mean the same to you as they do to me. Every moment that I spend with you, I fall deeper and deeper in love. We are meant to be together; I can't help but feel it is our destiny. I need you to know that I have made my decision with my eyes wide open. I know that you are a vampire and are immortal; none of that means anything to me. The only thing that I want now is to spend the rest of my time with you._

_But I want to give you an opportunity to make the same informed choice. I know that you must feel the unusual bond we have; but perhaps it is not the same for you. I am but a silly, clumsy human girl; hardly worthy of your love. But I am yours for eternity; all you have to do is come for me._

_I can't know exactly when you will get this, but I will be waiting for you._

_With more love than I thought was possible,_

_Bella_

"Th-that's today?? What? How? Is this from the book? She knows what I am?" Edward's mix of emotions nearly overpowered Jasper; had he not been prepared for the complexity simply due to the fact that he'd had a very similar reaction, the onslaught of Edward's would have rendered him useless in the situation. However, he was fully equipped for his brother's reaction and used all his emotional strength to calm the frenzy that was preparing to overtake him.

"Edward, relax. Let her explain. I was just as confused as you were when she first wrote out the note. It'll make sense in a few minutes, but you have to hear her out." Jasper nodded at Alice and she began to explain; all Edward could do was stare intently at the words in front of him, as if they might vanish if he looked away.

"It seems that with a great deal of concentration, I am able to see small snippets of Bella's future, even when it is not entwined with ours. It seems to be limited to the very immediate future so far, but perhaps the more I know about her the more far-reaching my sight will be. I already told you what I saw when she woke up from the visit you described, but I didn't tell you everything I saw her experience that morning. Your letter from Esme was in your jacket; she read it and drew some very interesting conclusions." Alice took a moment to regard her brother and husband, trying to gauge Edward's reaction thus far.

Edward half looked up at her, still fearing to tear his eyes fully away from his precious note; his eyes narrowed in anticipation of her next words. "What exactly did she conclude?"

"Well, she didn't have enough information yet to put together the whole truth, but she seemed pretty clear on the fact that you weren't human. In fact, she also seemed to gather that Carlisle and Esme were some sort of adoptive parental figures, but were also whatever type of being you were. Believe it or not, this made her incredibly relieved, as it answered almost all her questions about what had been happening to her for the past few months. Early today I caught glimpses as she thought through a few options on how to find you, but finally decided on leaving the book for you. Your Bella is quite a smart girl, her instincts were right in line with what my visions were telling me as to the outcome of her other options. Oh, and she was ecstatic to learn your name as well."

Jasper looked over at Alice, confusion showing on his face. "You never told me all of this."

Edward's eyes darted to Jasper's face, and then to Alice's. "Why didn't you tell Jasper? Are you lying to me Alice, you should know better than that? DON'T PLAY WITH ME!" A menacing growl escaped his lips as he breathed the last sentence, driving Jasper to leap towards Alice in a protective crouch.

Alice just let out her tinkling laugh as she looked up to the sky and rolled her eyes. "Boys, boys, RELAX! Jasper, I didn't tell you because I didn't find most of it out until earlier this morning when we were shopping and I knew you'd find out soon enough when I told Edward. And Edward, you know damn well I would never lie to you about something this important. You also know that I've seen enough visions of Bella and me as best friends, so I am incredibly excited at the prospect of her joining our family as well, for my own benefit; I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my own happiness, would I?"

Edward and Jasper exchanged a glance and nodded at Alice, indicating that she should continue.

"Okay then. So she decides that she is going to leave you a message in the book, and hope she can manage to take it with her and leave it with you. Oh yeah, we already covered that. She has a friend that she trusts a lot that owns a book store; she went there this morning and the two of them did some research on what you could possibly be. Lady fate played her hand yet again, as this friend has an interest in Native American lore and had a book about Washington State legends. Apparently, there was a section about the Quileute tribe; and they not only mentioned our family but had detailed drawings of you and Carlisle and an explanation of the treaty between our family and the tribe. Oh Edward, I have to allow you to see her reaction for yourself, you'd never believe me." With that statement, Alice slowly opened her mind fully to her brother, casting aside the "Memories" she had been translating for the memories she wanted to reveal.

_Tiffany leaned over and pulled the book out of her hands. She read the passage aloud, trying to figure out just what Bella had found. "The natural enemies of the wolves, vampires are normally not to be trusted. But this peculiar coven has committed to a life of human protection that complements the wolves' purpose. They choose to sustain themselves solely on animal blood and their leader has worked for centuries to save as many human lives as he and his coven could. For this reason, a treaty of sorts was struck between the coven and the local tribe of wolves, the Quileutes. They would both stick to their own land and the vampire coven would be allowed in the Forks area as long as they never bit a human."_

"_Forks? As in Washington? As in where Charlie lives? Do you think that he's there now? It may be easier than I ever thought for us to be together!" A huge grin broke out on Bella's face as she processed the information Tiffany relayed to her._

"_You do realize that I just confirmed that the love of your life is an immortal vampire, right? Bella, only you (and maybe me since we're being totally honest here) would skip right over that tiny detail! But yes, this particular book is specific to Washington state, and I've only heard of a Quileute tribe in the Forks where your father lives. The book says they are allowed in the area, not that they are always living in the area. So don't get your hopes up too high that a simple visit to Charlie will solve all your romantic problems. On the other hand, no amount of space or time has kept you apart yet, so it is only a matter of time before you are together. Whether they are in Forks now or not, I think Charlie living there will give you two the ability to be together finally." Tiffany's grin matched Bella's._

"_Hey, I heard the part about him being a vampire; I was paying very close attention. I also heard the part about not drinking human's blood and a commitment to protecting humans. That's better than most human men I know; so if that's the case I'll take a vampire any day! I'm sure we can find a way to deal with the immortality issue…who knows, maybe one day I'll get to be a vampire!" _

Alice quickly resumed her translation work as Edward processed everything she had shown him. She tensed as she waited for a split second decision to derail her perfectly planned tête-à-tête; as Edward calmly stood and started walking thoughtfully around the clearing, just as her vision had shown her, she relaxed and waited for him to begin.

"She knows I'm a vampire, but understands that I theoretically won't harm humans. This friend, whom she appears to look up to a great deal, also approves of me as a soul mate for Bella, even acknowledging my monstrous nature. She won't come here to look for me, because she really doesn't know where to look; however she has an unswerving hope and belief that we will be together somehow. Above everything, she truly loves me! I'm awestruck, truly awestruck. How could I possibly deserve such a creature?" Edward continued to pace around, ticking off on his fingers all the "facts" that had been gathered. Jasper glanced at Alice, wondering if he should help his brother, but she simply smiled slightly and shook her head, looking back at Edward quickly.

"She laughs at the notion of immortality being an obstacle, and even considers becoming one of us. I won't let that happen, I can't let that happen. How can she love me? She clearly knows the truth, she had to have known what happened in that alley, and yet she is no more afraid of me than she would be of a harmless butterfly. Nothing other than the fates could have designed such a love; it seems that we truly are destined to be together." He continued to wander about, mumbling to himself and occasionally chuckling at his good fortune. Alice finally snapped him out of his daze when she noticed he was about to slip down the treacherous path of self-loathing that usually accompanied any lengthy contemplation about his possible relationship with Bella. He'd been there once already that afternoon, she didn't intend on letting him return.

"Well, dear brother, do you want to stay here, or would you like to see what she's left for you in the book? Jasper and I have all day, so you go ahead and take your time." Her sing-song voice was playful enough to bring him back to the present but not unleash any of the wrath that was bubbling under his temporary chipper exterior.

"The book? Yes, the book! I'll race you home…" Edward was out of the clearing before his words had escaped his lips.

"He'll just have to wait for us; I'm not ruining my new Jimmy Choos!"

* * *

**(In Edward's room)**

Alice and Jasper walked into Edward's room to find him sitting on his couch with his legs crossed, looking both anxious and relaxed.

"I should have realized that you'd be wearing your new shoes Alice; I wouldn't have run quite so fast. I have no idea where to look, so I've just been sitting here trying to be patient and calm until you came. I thought about going back out and running again to relax, but every time I decided to move, I had the sense that you and Jasper would be arriving any moment. This went on for about an hour; by the time I realized that if I simply ran in the direction you were coming from I wouldn't delay the search at all, I heard you thinking about the scuffs on your shoes."

"Well, they **are** scuffed now, and they weren't cheap, even if they were on sale. But, I will be able to make them as good as new with some polish I'll find in a store in NYC next month. Don't worry about it."

"I wasn't. Now, where have you hidden the damn book?" Edward let out a sound that was a mixture of a growl and a chuckle as Alice continued to frustrate him.

Alice walked over to his bookshelf and pulled something from the middle of the shelf and handed it to him. "Here you go."

"What do you mean 'here you go'? This is _my_ book. Where is the one _she_ gave me?" Edward's impatience was threatening to break through; Jasper was frantically signaling his wife to stop with her antics.

"Silly Edward, where better to hide something than in plain sight? I took your copy of the book and put it downstairs on the main bookshelf, so if you saw it there you'd look and see that it was yours. I put her copy here, since it was the same edition, and you never even noticed. Again, another one of those strange coincidences that always seem to line up perfectly for the two of you; I doubt I would have been able to hide it from you this long if that hadn't been the case."

"It was in my room the whole time. Of course it was." Edward turned the book over in his hands, marveling at the simplicity of his sister's plan. As he did, he allowed some of the pages to open and a slip of paper came loose and lightly floated to the floor. All three vampires watched it carefully; each perfectly capable of having caught it almost the same moment it fell from the book, but all were equally mesmerized by the sight and allowed it to continue its journey all the way to the floor.

Jasper was the one who recovered first; he knelt down and picked up the folded scrap of paper, handing it quickly to Edward. Edward unfolded it, and a look of utter confusion crossed his face as he digested the contents of what his love had left for him. "Alice, this is not the note you showed me. This is just some random trash advertisement for a school dance. I am not getting angry because I trust you, but please explain what is going on as succinctly as is possible for you." He walked back over to his couch and resumed his previous position, waiting for his sister's answers.

"Thank you for not over-reacting. I appreciate that you finally trust me. I showed you the letter earlier because that is what she meant to put in the book; I wanted to be sure you knew her true feelings for you and how much she knew about our family as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as you can see, somehow she managed to leave some random school paper in there in place of her letter. Well, actually it isn't some random paper. It is the official invitation to the Winter Formal; each student only gets one copy. She **will** notice that she still has the letter, but she will **also** notice that she doesn't have that invitation anymore. And at this point, Bella pretty much believes that anything is possible when it comes to you and her; she is banking on you coming to find her at that dance, as in her mind it is the only link you have to her."

"Couldn't I go to her now, explaining that I found her based on her school, and maybe slowly explain about your powers or something? Surely if she so easily accepted my monstrous nature, something as simple as psychic sister wouldn't throw her." Edward began casually walking around the room, surreptitiously gathering things he might need for an extended trip to Phoenix.

Alice tried to subtly derail Edward's train of thought. "Well, she hasn't really had a lot of time to digest the entire situation. It is one thing to have a book of folklore tell you that your dream boyfriend is a friendly vampire, but it is a whole other story for him to show up with claims that his 'sister' can see the future. It might scare her, maybe not forever, but it could take years to mend."

"Have you seen any visions to indicate that is what will happen? Obviously," he motioned to the half-full bag of clothes in his hand, "I am quite set on my course of action at this point."

"No, nothing like that. I just don't think this is the best way. She might be content coming to Forks with us right now, but in the long term it isn't the right path for her true happiness." Alice was careful in her arguments; she was concentrating extremely hard on her translations in an effort to prevent any of her recent visions from slipping through. She knew more than she was letting on about why Bella would be unhappy if Edward came for her right then; but if Edward knew, it would give him even more reason to go to her.

"Well, I can't see the harm in simply going to talk to her. Maybe she doesn't need to come back with us right away. It would be one step closer to heaven simply to be able to call her on the phone and speak with her, or hop on a plane to visit. I've waited almost 90 years for her, I can wait a little while longer if it is best for her. But don't deny me the opportunity to make that waiting slightly more bearable; you know it isn't just me we are talking about here."

"I can see Edward's point. Obviously, I haven't experienced Alice's visions for myself, but it certainly seems as thought she is quite willing to accept that this alternate version of reality exists. None of us have any doubt as to the strength of her love…but perhaps Alice and I should go with you, just in case. Surely making contact with her can't cause any harm; there is no reason that she would need to move here immediately." Jasper had begun to help Edward pack, not noticing Alice's frantic signals of distress.

Defeated, Alice fought her urge to scream, allowing only a slight hiss to escape her lips. "Fine! Stop with the packing, and I will tell you everything. You can't go to her yet. I told you that you'd have to wait; I thought you'd listen to me. Clearly, that isn't going to happen, so now you have to know the whole truth, but you are still going to have to wait until the dance. I've tried and tried a million different ways, but that is the only way that allows her to be truly happy. I'm sorry Edward, I wish it could be different, but it is only two more months."

Even a human could have heard a pin drop in Edward's room at that moment. Jasper and Edward turned to face Alice, with very different expressions on their faces. Edward's was a mixture of anger and fear, while Jasper's was simply fear. Neither said a word.

"Something happened the night of the visit that prompted all of this, before the visit. There was some sort of dance, and Bella went with a date, some boy named Josh. I haven't been able to discern exactly what happened, but I get the feeling that he might have had a different plan for how the evening ended up than Bella did."

Edward tensed and growled at the mere idea of someone else with Bella. "Calm yourself Edward, this isn't going to help. Now I can see why Alice kept this from you. Do you need me to help you stay calm?" Jasper glared at him meaningfully. He shook his head, and then waved his hand, beckoning Alice to proceed.

"From the flashes I'm getting of her future, this boy and his friends are going to be giving her a bit of a hard time in school. She's going to be unhappy and thinking about going to live with her father in Forks to get away from the teasing. You are another major lure in the direction of Forks; however, she tries to convince herself that she has no way of knowing if you are there so she shouldn't use it as part of her decision making process. Every time she decides to go live with her father, her future is filled with guilt and shame because she feels as if she ran away from her problems instead of standing up for herself and dealing with them. This haunts her for the rest of her life. No matter when you enter the picture in these visions, her happiness is eternally tinged with a wistful disappointment; always wishing she could have been the better person back then, never quite believing she is worthy of your love or any of the wonderful things that her life has brought her."

Edward relaxed slightly as the truth in Alice's words rang through him. He could understand how a seemingly insignificant decision like that could haunt someone their entire existence. He'd heard enough people questioning more inconsequential decisions in their lives over and over to not give credence to this theory. He rested his duffle bag on the floor, and sat back on his couch as Alice continued.

"But, if you wait until this dance, then everything falls into place. She will have found the strength to stand up for herself, and she will be expecting you to come to her that night. She'll be prepared to leave her life in Phoenix with her head held high. I don't want to give everything away, but let me show you a little bit of my vision." Alice cleared her mind, and brought back a vision for Edward of him and Bella dancing in the school gym.

Suddenly, Alice's eyes glazed over and Edward's locked onto her face. Jasper felt the emotions shift from joy to a mixture of confusion, fear and unrelenting fury. Almost before he could register the change, Edward had grabbed the duffle bag and flew out the door. Jasper shifted his gaze hurriedly between the bedroom door and his incapacitated wife, unsure what to do. Just as suddenly as she left, Alice came back to her senses and screamed at her husband.

"STOP HIM! She will never recover from this!"

_**

* * *

Author's Note: So now he knows!! And what was Alice's vision?? Review = preview of Alice's vision!! Don't kill me, but for the next chapter we will skip over to Bella and see some of the fallout from the dance and her disastrous date with Josh. Hope you enjoyed it (please review and let me know!) - MK  
**_

Featured Author for this chapter is: **911TurboWriter!! **She has seven fabulous stories. She is exceptionally skilled at writing Rose's POV and has several great stories that expand on her character. My current fav of hers is "Happiness, Tears, Love and Rain" which is an all human story with canon pairings – Alice and Japser are married, Rose and Emmett are secretly dating and Bella and Edward discover their love. My other favorite is "When Edward Pulled a Romeo", which tells the story of when Alice and Bella go to rescue Edward from the Volturi in New Moon, but from the rest of the family's perspective. You can find her on my favorite author's tab!


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